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The president's supporters have poured in millions to fund his dead-end legal campaign to try and overturn the results of the election. In the most straightforward sense, Donald Trump’s effort to overturn his loss to Joe Biden is going quite badly: States are certifying their results, his legal challenges have been laughed out of court, and his attorney keeps finding new ways to humiliate him. But in at least one way, his bumbling coup attempt has been extremely successful: As he charges on with his legal fight, his supporters have been pouring money into the coffers of his dead-end re-election bid, resulting in a bigger cash haul than he brought in at some points of the actual campaign.
According to the New York Times, the president has raised roughly $170 million in the month since Election Day, mostly at the grassroots level, at a time when most losing campaigns are closing up shop. While desperate emails to supporters from Team Trump suggest the cash is going to fight the massive “fraud” they say is standing in the way of another four years in office, only a small fraction of it is actually going to the remaining legal challenges; instead, most has gone to paying off his campaign debt and to his new Save America political action committee, which will fund whatever loosely defined political undertakings he embarks on after leaving office. In other words, when he emails the MAGA faithful saying, “I need you now more than ever,” what he really means is, “I need you now more than ever...to open your wallets again to help me keep the grift going.”
“Trump is making hay while the sun is shining,” Republican donor Dan Eberharttold the Washington Post. “He’s taking advantage of all the free media coverage to pay off his campaign debt and fill his coffers for whatever comes next.”
Trump has maintained that what’s “next” for him is another four years in the White House, once he and Rudy Giuliani finally unveil the proof they 100 percent, absolutely, definitely have that a massive conspiracy robbed him of his election victory. As is usual with Trump, it’s hard to tell where the self-serving racket ends and where his delusions begin. Based on his insistence—behind closed doors—that he actually beat Biden, he unquestionably buys into the same fantasy he’s selling his most fervent supporters. Even as he drinks his own Kool-Aid, though, his post-election windfall is surely incentive enough on its own for him to keep the ridiculous, increasingly hopeless exercise going. He’s spent the last five years conning his true believers; if he has to leave next month, he’s going to make sure he squeezes every last red penny out of them.
There’s a price to all this—and not just to the supporters who’ve coughed up their cash for him. Even as Biden’s transition begins in earnest, and Republicans increasingly acknowledge the reality of a new administration, Trump’s wild conspiracy theorizing has inflicted deep wounds on his base’s confidence in the democratic process and in the perceived legitimacy of his soon-to-be successor. A poll last month found that 70 percent of Republican voters do not believe the election was fair. It’s hard to imagine their trust returning anytime soon as he continues to lob reckless fraud claims, now as lame duck and soon as an ex-president, especially if the bulk of the GOP establishment and right-wing media continues to stay silent on or give credence to his bull****. It’s a dangerous cycle: The more Trump riles up his core supporters with overheated conspiracy, the more money they send him; the more money they send him, the more motivation he has to keep it going. And around and around it goes, never getting any closer to achieving the nominal goal of overturning the election result. It’s one way to spend your money. But as Eberhart, the Republican donor, put it: “I would rather give to Romney 2012 than Trump 2020 at this point.”
Yes we know where his support comes from but what about joe where does the river of money come from
Let’s ask xi jinping
If you are concerned about JB's donation sources, you might want to start a new thread. as for xi jinping, he's probably busy working with iwanka trump re. all the trademarks she has applied for under the trump label, while daddy was still "leading" the country.
I don't understand why his supporters are willing to subsidize trump's personal expenses, lavish lifestyle, salaries for his relatives, vacations, etc. I bet the majority of them could find much better use for their money.
A donor would have to give more than $8,000 before any money goes to the “recount account” established to finance election challenges, including recounts and lawsuits over alleged improprieties, the fundraising disclosures show.
If a Trump donor gave $500, for instance, $300 would go to Trump’s Save America PAC, $200 would to the RNC - and nothing would go to his election defense fund.
Unlike campaign funds, which have tight controls on how they can be spent, leadership PACs such as Save America carry few restrictions. Republicans and Democrats alike have drawn criticism for using them to pay family members and to fund luxury events in exotic locations. A 2018 report by the Campaign Legal Center and Issue One, two groups that advocate campaign finance reform, said some leadership PACs have been used as vehicles to “subsidize lavish lifestyles” of politicians “on their donors’ dimes.”
I don't understand why his supporters are willing to subsidize trump's personal expenses, lavish lifestyle, salaries for his relatives, vacations, etc. I bet the majority of them could find much better use for their money.
A donor would have to give more than $8,000 before any money goes to the “recount account” established to finance election challenges, including recounts and lawsuits over alleged improprieties, the fundraising disclosures show.
If a Trump donor gave $500, for instance, $300 would go to Trump’s Save America PAC, $200 would to the RNC - and nothing would go to his election defense fund.
Unlike campaign funds, which have tight controls on how they can be spent, leadership PACs such as Save America carry few restrictions. Republicans and Democrats alike have drawn criticism for using them to pay family members and to fund luxury events in exotic locations. A 2018 report by the Campaign Legal Center and Issue One, two groups that advocate campaign finance reform, said some leadership PACs have been used as vehicles to “subsidize lavish lifestyles” of politicians “on their donors’ dimes.”
Gullibility and delusion. I have distant relatives that are huge Trumpers and go on vacations to his resorts and golf clubs. They have also donated heavily to Trump's campaigns in the past, and I am sure they are helping to fund these PACs as we speak. They treat the Trumps like royalty. It's no different than people that give their life savings to televangelists.
since there is no accounting required for campaign funds, donald could realistically pocket all that money and walk away, bernie madoff style, right?
and there's nothing anyone could do about it?
I still can't believe donald made an estimated $1.9b during his presidency, just because people wanted to buy his support.
no wonder he gave away his chump change president's salary. He didn't need $400k if he was making hundreds of millions hand over fist.
no wonder he wants the prez so badly.
Actually, accounting rules for campaign donations are quite strict.
Think of a campaign as a time-limited business. Before the campaign closes shop, it must pay off its debts. It's pretty common for candidates at all levels to have to fundraise after the election in order to balance the books and close up shop.
Once those debts are paid though, if the campaign account(s) have a positive ending balance, those funds can be redirected by the candidate. Commonly, candidates donate them to PACs, the campaign funds of political allies, or other not-for-profit organizations. But if a candidate jumps through some procedural hoops, it's legal for them to convert those funds to private use.
BTW, those donations to PACs and political allies are a major source of behind-the-scenes power. Pelosi and McConnell are both master fundraisers.
i'm sure donald will find a way to redirect the donation money to pay off the IRS when the IRS collects back tax.
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