The war is lost. The Supreme Court and the Electoral College have spoken. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has also admitted to being adept at drafting rules for political gain that Donald Trump will no longer be the next president.
But the money flowing into Trump’s political infidelity suggests that the defeat will not cast a political shadow over the soon-to-be-former president.
Trump has been in a fundraising campaign since the election, which quickly led to a staggering $ 200m or more behind false claims of vote rigging.
His campaign bombarded supporters with emails and text messages – about 30 a day – urging donations to the Fighting Fund to challenge the outcome. But with electoral compromise, the money is not going away.
Most of the cash is selected immediately after the election by Save America, an organization formed as a leadership political action committee (PAC). Leadership packs were created to allow individuals to raise money in support of the chosen candidate, and Trump cannot legally use these earnings directly to finance himself, as the second bid for the presidency in four years.
But Campaign Legal Center campaign finance expert Brendan Fisher said Trump’s funding was “unprecedented” and “evidence of undeniable political ambition.”
“I can’t think of any other president who has set up a leadership PAC immediately after losing the election and started raising funds for it. This is perfect, completely unique, ”he said.
“I think it will basically be the vehicle of Trump’s post-White House political operation.”
Trump raised money in a glimpse of an appeal to donate what he billed as an “official election defense fund” without explicitly mentioning Save America. Aggressive sales were framed around the president’s false claims that the election was to blame – even one legal challenge after another was broken.
“We need your help to protect the integrity of our election,” an email said.
Another email carries the subject line: “The results of this calculation were bogus.”
Money flooded in but most of it will not go anywhere close to fighting the already settled election results. Some were used to pay off Trump’s campaign debt, and 25 cents per dollar went straight to the Republican Party. The remaining amount is paid to Save America.
“We would expect the lead pack to account for more than 100m by this point,” Fisher said. “It simply came to our notice then. That’s a lot of money, more than any other leadership pack I can think of. “
Fisher said this is a sign that Trump is not quietly considering stepping back to write his memoirs on the political stage.
“The creation of his leadership pack is certainly an indication that Trump plans to be very active in politics, and he aims to become a major political player.”
“Because the leadership packs are loosely regulated, it will be able to use the funds not only to keep its campaign staff on the payroll, but also for potential financial gain. It will use the leadership packs to pay itself, to pay family members. You can do a lot of things with this. “
Jennifer Victor, an associate professor of political science at George Mason University, said the money would be used by Trump to fund the election of political loyalists to keep Trumpism alive.
“Is he so savvy as a political operator that he needs to use the money to form a broad coalition in which he is centered and earns money that can strengthen his political position?” It is difficult to say because his political movement has so far been centered around himself, “he said.
“They should be interested in building a Republican Party around Trumpism, which has been happening quite naturally over the last few years. But, in order to create a permanent characteristic of the Republican Party, he has to use the political capital built around his name for the benefit of the party, which means he has to give it to other candidates. “
Victor said it would be a headache for the Republican Party leadership to hope to move beyond Trump.
“He is not only the past president and candidate, but also the second highest-winning candidate of any American candidate, after Biden. So he has this huge base of followers. At the same time, it always devalues democratic norms and the norms of the Republican Party. ‘
That’s when Trump wants to run for president again in four years.
“Save America can’t be used to support Trump’s campaign, but there are many ways to build the foundation for a run for office fees in 2024,” Fisher said.
“Probably where it will be more useful is to fund Trump’s campaign in support of another Trump candidate. It could potentially make payments for rallies in support of another candidate. It can be used to pay for ads that are run independently of those that support the candidate. “
This may include funding for fees by his own children. In Florida, speculation is rife about Ivanka Trump’s chances of running for the US Senate.
All of this maintains the president’s political profile and influence in the Republican Party, especially as he has proven to be adept at turning other people’s campaign programs into Trump’s rallies.
What Trump can’t use for donations is to solve the legal and economic problems that come his way when he leaves the White House that could get in the way of future political ambitions.
Manhattan’s district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., is leading a criminal investigation into Trump’s business dealings. Former President’s lawyer Michael Cohen has led Congress to increase the value of his assets to secure bank loans to Trump and then reduce them in tax cuts, leading New York State Attorney General Letia James to lead a civil investigation.
The inquiry’s advice was recently extended to Ivanka, the president’s daughter, to investigate the adviser’s fees. She responded by calling the news of the inquiry Politically motivated harassment.
Trump loses his protection from criminal prosecution when he leaves office. While he claims to have the power to pardon himself before leaving the White House, any such action would only apply to federal crimes, not to charges brought by New York or any other state.
The president is also facing debt payments. Trump has personally pledged about 20 420 million in debt owed by his businesses that will have to be repaid in the coming years, according to the New York Times.
Deutsche Bank holds most of the debt. Last month, Reuters reported that the bank was trying to sever ties with the president.
The Trump organization, the president’s umbrella group, which is currently overseen by his two sons, owes about 3 40,340 million to the bank. The loan, which is against Trump property, starts coming in two years.
