Here's what Trump can and can't do with the $200 million he raised on election fraud claims


"I can think of no other president who has set up a leadership PAC immediately after losing an election and begun fundraising for it furiously. This is entirely, entirely unique," Brendan Fischer, a campaign finance specialist at the Campaign Legal Center, told The Guardian in reference to President Trump, who has reeled in around $200 million after asking donors to back his fight to overturn the presidential election.
Trump won't win that fight, especially after the Supreme Court got involved and the Electoral College sealed President-elect Joe Biden's victory, but the money is "basically going to be the vehicle for Trump's post-White House political operation," Fischer predicts.
There are certain things he legally cannot do with the funds — for starters, the money can't be used to resolve any legal or financial problems he may face after leaving office, and it also can't support a potential 2024 presidential run. It can, however, lay the groundwork for that campaign, Fischer said. But the money would likely be most useful if it went to another candidate who would perhaps act as a successor of sorts. "It can potentially pay for rallies in support of another candidate," Fischer said. "It can be used to pay for ads that are run ostensibly independently of the candidate that he's supporting."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Of course, that would mean Trump has to be interested in more than his own personal success. "Is he savvy enough as a political operator to use that money to essentially build a broad coalition in which he is the center and the doler-out of the money that could strengthen his political position?," asked Jennifer Victor, an associate professor of political science at George Mason University. "It's hard to say because his political movement so far has been so centered around himself." Read more at The Guardian.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.
-
Trump orders NFL team to change name, or else
Speed Read The president wants the Washington Commanders to change its name back to the 'Redskins'
-
Are referees and 'physicality' hurting the WNBA?
Today's Big Question The league is growing, but Caitlin Clark's absence raises questions
-
Israeli gunfire kills dozens at Gaza aid site
Speed Read The U.N. estimates that at least 875 Palestinians have died while trying to access food in recent months
-
Israeli gunfire kills dozens at Gaza aid site
Speed Read The U.N. estimates that at least 875 Palestinians have died while trying to access food in recent months
-
Rubio says US brokered end to Syria conflict
Speed Read Syria's defense ministry was targeted in Israeli attacks on the capital
-
Trump threatens Russia with 'severe tariffs'
speed read The president also agreed to sell NATO advanced arms for Ukraine
-
IDF blames 'error' for strike on Gaza water line
Speed Read Israeli forces attack Palestinians, including children, collecting water in central Gaza
-
Iran still has enriched uranium, Israeli official says
Speed Read It remains unclear how long it would take Iran to rebuild its nuclear program following US and Israeli attacks
-
Trump U-turns on weapons to Ukraine
Speed Read Unhappy with Putin, Trump decides the US will go back to arming Ukraine against Russia's attacks
-
Ukraine scrambles as Trump cuts weapons deliveries
Speed Read The halting of weapons shipments was driven by Pentagon policy chief Elbridge Colby, a Ukraine funding skeptic
-
IAEA: Iran could enrich uranium 'within months'
Speed Read The chief United Nations nuclear inspector, Rafael Grossi, says Iran could be enriching uranium again soon