Trump raised big money in early 2021, but didn’t spend much

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Former U.S. President Donald Trump speaks at his first post-presidential campaign rally at the Lorain County Fairgrounds in Wellington, Ohio, U.S., June 26, 2021. REUTERS / Shannon Stapleton

WASHINGTON, July 31 (Reuters) – A fundraising group run by former President Donald Trump raised $ 62 million in the first half of the year but spent only $ 3 million, with the largest chunk of money going to a center. pro-Trump research and more than $ 65,000 in Trump’s own hotels, according to federal records published Saturday.

Trump, a Republican, formed the Save America committee in November shortly after losing the presidential election to Democrat Joe Biden. Under Federal Election Commission (FEC) rules, the committee has broad freedom in how it can use its money.

A filing with the FEC showed Save America making a $ 1 million contribution in June to the America First Policy Institute, a nonprofit run by veterans of its administration.

The group’s leadership includes Brooke Rollins, who headed the White House’s Domestic Policy Council under Trump, and Larry Kudlow, who headed Trump’s National Economic Council.

The money spent on hotels in Trump has been described as covering lodging or food, according to the Save America filing.

Another Trump -controlled committee, a former account of the campaign now known as the Make America Great Again PAC, spent an additional $ 13 million in the first half of the year, mostly to seize legal fees and efforts. Trump to reverse the loss of his election in November, according to a separate FEC filing.

Together, the two committees brought in most of the nearly $ 82 million that Trump’s office said he helped raise between January and June.

Trump -affiliated committees ended up spending nearly $ 102 million in cash, an amount that would help the former president provide substantial influence before next year’s election when Republicans hope to gain control of Congress. Democrats have narrow basic knowledge of the United States House of Representatives and Senate.

But while Trump was his party’s top fundraiser and continued to raise substantial amounts for the Republican National Committee, his committees did not give any money to political candidates in the first half of the year.

A spokesman for his office said $ 5,000 checks were sent in July to candidates he endorsed. Details on those contributions are expected in the FEC filing to be paid later in the year.

Many of the candidates Trump has endorsed, particularly those who challenge incumbent Republicans or seek open seats, are behind their fundraising opponents. Incumbent Kelly Tshubaka, who challenges Republican U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, had less than $ 2 million in her campaign bank account at the end of June than Murkowski.

Republicans will face a well -funded slate of Democrats in next year’s election.

Democrats raised more than $ 373 million in online donations in the first six months of the year through ActBlue, the party’s dominant payment processor, according to a disclosure filed Saturday. That surpassed that of the $ 258 million that Republicans collected in the same period through their online payment processor WinRed.

Reporting by Jason Lange; Edited by Christopher Cushing

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

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