Former President Trump’s latest fundraising pact with the Republican National Committee (RNC) ensures his legal bills are taken care of before the funds trickle to bolster the party’s war chest. This arrangement functions off Trump’s political action committee, Save America, which acts as a vehicle to shoulder the hefty legal expenses incurred by Trump’s lawsuits. Save America is the primary beneficiary of donor contributions and it relegates the RNC and state parties to distant consideration.
Trump is set to host a high-dollar donor event in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 6th; his team sees it as an opportunity, under the new structure, to spark fundraising and to catch up with President Joe Biden and the Democrats. The fundraiser’s complex allocation formula prioritizes Trump’s campaign and the Save America PAC, with contributions exceeding specific thresholds subsequently flowing to the RNC and state entities.
The Trump 47 Committee capitalizes on the elevated contribution limits afforded to party committees, enabling individual donors to contribute significantly larger sums compared to direct campaign donations. This financial gameplay is not only aimed at bolstering Trump’s campaign but also at addressing the substantial legal expenses that have been a consistent drain on Trump’s political operation, totaling approximately $50 million in legal fees in 2023 alone. Trump’s many detractors have pointed out the abnormalities in this trickle-down funding structure; few other candidates in America’s past, if any, have utilized a PAC in the same manner as the former president.
Trump’s campaign and the newly restructured RNC, now under leadership closely aligned with him, with daughter-in-law Lara Trump as co-chair, assert that the majority of funds raised will ultimately support the campaign, the RNC, and state GOP parties, minimizing the proportion allocated to Save America. Nonetheless, the callousness of this fundraising prioritization evidence the former President’s primary concern, his less-than-liquid financial status.
