Former President Donald Trump continued to fundraise after he lost the 2020 election, and poured some $1.3 million of political contributions into his own businesses, his latest federal filings showed.
In keeping with a review by Forbes, between the lost election and the top of 2020, Trump’s campaign committee Donald J. Trump for President handed over $113,000 to Trump enterprises, including two rent payments of $38,000 to Trump Tower Industrial LLC, and two $3,000 checks to Trump Restaurants LLC.
In 2021, Trump modified the name of his campaign committee to the Make America Great Again PAC, and money again poured into Trump enterprises, Forbes reported. Near $38,000 was paid in rent to the Trump Tower Industrial LLC “every month or so,” and checks for $3,000 were “often” paid to his restaurant business.
From the time of his election loss to the top of February 2022, the PAC had paid $526,000 to his firms, per Forbes’ review of the Federal Election Commission filings.
Other Trump political groups also rained money on his operations. The joint-fundraising committee Trump Victory, which collected money for the Trump campaign and state-level Republican groups, paid $294,000 to the Trump Hotel Collection.
Trump’s leadership PAC, Save America, spent $213,000 at Trump properties from February 2021 until May 2022.
A number of the money collected from donors was actually solicited for the Official Election Defense Fund to overturn the election, regardless that that fund apparently didn’t exist, the House select committee investigating last 12 months’s revolt noted.
“Not only was there the ‘Big Lie,’” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.), referring to baseless claims of election fraud during one in all the panel’s hearings earlier this month. California. “There was the large rip off.”
In a 2000 interview. Trump boasted to Fortune magazine: “It’s very possible that I might be the primary presidential candidate to run and earn money on it.”
Take a look at the full Forbes’ story here.
