WASHINGTON ― Self-described billionaire Donald Trump is asking his millions of small-dollar donors ― many of them retirees ― to send money to a new political action committee that appears to be structured to let the president-elect pay his legal bills.
Trump’s presidential campaign by late Friday had already sent at least six emails to his supporters asking for money, with 80 cents of each dollar going to the newly created Never Surrender Inc.
The emails have offered donors a chance to win tickets to Trump’s inaugural, a 2025 Trump calendar and a “victory” hat. One email told recipients what an honor it was for Trump to have been elected president again, and then asked for money.
“We have a lot to work to do, but I know with you by my side, WE WILL MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” the message sent on Wednesday reads, followed by a red “DONATE” button.
Rick Wilson, a former Republican political consultant who has criticized Trump as a con man since the start of his first presidential campaign in 2015, said he was not surprised that Trump is still taking advantage of his followers.
“Of course,” he said. “The grift now has seven zeros instead of six.”
Trump campaign officials did not respond to HuffPost’s queries about the new political action committee. But one source close to the campaign and familiar with campaign finance rules confirmed that it appears to be a new “leadership” PAC ― an entity originally blessed by the Federal Election Commission to let politicians raise money that they could then dole out to other candidates. Over the years, however, many politicians have also used leadership PACs to pay some of their personal expenses, essentially making them slush funds.
How much Trump actually raises for Never Surrender, and how he spends the money, are details that do not have to be disclosed for some time. A first report is likely not due until the end of January, and the first one that would actually contain a useful amount of information would not be due until July.
Trump used his original leadership PAC, Save America, which he created in the days following his 2020 election loss, to pay dozens of lawyers and law firms a total of $86.5 million through mid-October, according to a HuffPost analysis of FEC filings.
In comparison, he spent only $5.3 million in direct donations to House and Senate candidates, sent $7.1 million to other political committees and charities, and sent $26.4 million to MAGA Inc., a pro-Trump super PAC, to help elect Republican candidates in the 2022 midterms.
The total spending on behalf of other candidates came to just $38.8 million ― less than half of what Trump has paid his lawyers.
The biggest recipients included Chris Kise, whose two firms received a total of $13.3 million; Clifford Robert, whose firm unsuccessfully defended Trump in the New York state civil fraud case but received $12 million; Todd Blanche, who is representing Trump in his criminal cases and received $8.1 million; and Alina Habba, who unsuccessfully defended Trump in his defamation suit brought by E. Jean Carroll and received $8 million.
Heading into the election, Trump’s small-dollar fundraising outfit, the Trump National Committee, was raising money for the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committe. A separate entity for collecting large contributions, the Trump 47 Committee, funded the campaign, the RNC and state Republican parties. But it sent $5,000 of every donation to Trump’s Save America leadership PAC before a dime went to either the RNC or the state parties.
With the election past and the campaign committees winding down, Trump would have no way of getting donors to pay his personal expenses, including legal bills, unless he created a new mechanism.
Never Surrender appears to be that tool. While the committee’s statement of organization has not yet been filed with the FEC ― new committees have 10 days to file that document ― the language on the fundraising web page describing the $5,000 limit for donors matches the legal constraints on donations to leadership PACs. What’s more, Never Surrender is described as “the LPAC” in the fine print explaining how donations are distributed.
Democracy In The Balance
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Trump, in the two months following his 2020 election loss, raised about a quarter of a billion dollars by lying to his followers that the election was rigged and had been stolen from him. At first, the donations had been going to his campaign and the RNC, but Trump started diverting the majority of the money instead to Save America.
He then attempted a coup to remain in power, culminating in the violent attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. Despite that and the criminal prosecutions that resulted, he on Tuesday won reelection to the presidency and is set to take office on Jan. 20.