Donald Trump spent over $52 million in PAC donor money on legal fees last year. Here's where it all went.
- Donald Trump spent $52,431,858 on legal fees in 2023 using PAC funds, a Business Insider analysis found.
- The vast majority — nearly $40 million — went to law firms working on his personal legal problems.
- Trump spent this small fortune in donor money on his legal fees despite being a billionaire.
Former President Donald Trump has a lot of legal problems.
So do his company and three eldest children.
Often, political donors are footing the bill.
A Business Insider analysis has found that Trump supporters funded at least $52,431,858 in legal services in 2023 through two political action committees the GOP frontrunner controls.
Nearly $40 million of the $52.4 million in donor money was spent on law firms working on cases that had nothing to do with Trump's candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, the analysis found.
The legions of MAGA faithful may not have been aware of this when they parted with their small-dollar donations last year, galvanized by Trump's cries of "witch hunt" as he was indicted in a New York hush-money scheme in April and a Georgia election-interference case in August.
But significant portions of their donations went to law firms defending Trump in civil cases involving his real-estate empire and its top executives, including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump.
Use it all you fat fuck. Use it all and leave Republicans with nothing to spend on ads. They already have nothing to campaign on policy wise. Might as well use all their money, too.
They are going broke across the country. Trump has been sucking up all of the donations and then spending on legal bills. He is going to be the end of the party and I'll be watching with glee.
Would be nice if that would play out. Too bad his stupid base will just open their wallets to every cry for financial help because they are all brainwashed.
There is only so much they can give. Eventually his core base (the ones more likely to be on gov assistance) will run out of money. Eventually the puppeteers pulling his strings will stop funding him.
I'm not really a betting man but I would wager a decent sum that assuming the states and the feds keep up their investigations into the maggats, trump will be what takes that entire party down.
Have you met religious people? They will find a way to keep giving.
Do you know anything about finances/economics? Eventually they will run out of money. I'd bet in aggregate trump gets more money from the real players than individuals. Politicians (on both sides) have used fake supporters to funnel money into their campaigns for a very long time.
Aren’t his PAC donors like corporations and Russian money launderers, not some yokels on government assistance?
Ya, for 50+ million. That's not a bunch of grandparents donating $50. That amount is like other countries, corporations and the rich friends with their interests in mind. And if he's cozy with Saudi or other rich countries, the pot might not necessarily have a bottom for all intents and purposes of this voting year.
I mean, ya it's also grandparents and stuff... but I cannot see that the vast majority of that money coming from them.
A one time $50 donation from 1,000,000 magats = $50 million. Given there are so many stories of magats donating their property, retirement funds, and every dime they have, and also that there are 38.8 million registered magats in the US (https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/registered-voters-by-party).
I'd not be surprised if they are almost entirely driving this, and also themselves into homelessness.
Ya, that math checks out, but man, I really hope not. I tried looking super quick (at work rn) and I didn't immediately see any reporting stating people gave their houses, etc. Although I did quickly read PAC and Super PAC rules and the PAC rules are pretty tight on capping donations, and the Super PAC rules state that all donors need to be reported. So I am sure someone can find out where it's really coming from.
If hes allowed to be on the ballot in November and not a cent spent on adverts I guarantee he still gets 60 million votes. Probably more.
I said nothing about trumps campaign. Trump better not win but his fund raising being used for lawyers is going to help us take back seats from them when they don't have the money to advertise properly leading up to November. We already flipped Desantos seat. How many more are coming? Even if trump wins, if we can get enough control elsewhere we can minimize (but not prevent) more damage from him. Even better if we take back control and keep the Whitehouse, maybe we can actually get shit done.
The most surprising thing I think is that this confirms that he does sometimes pay lawyers.
Only with other people's money.
Rudy must be fuming.
Incorrect. MAGA paid some of his lawyers.
I wonder how many are demanding upfront payment now.
Man, these people just live in a different world than the rest of us. Unreal.
It's like a few lifetime's worth of efforts went into defending this guy.
“The legions of MAGA faithful may not have been aware of this . . .”
Really I feel like if you’re thinking MAGAnuts might be upset that their political donations to trump are not going to campaign business, you probably don't understand anything. Of course they don’t care.
Like - are you from the 50s, Business insider article rewriter? I mean I could understand that. are you normally a sheltered food critic or something has been asked to write a political article? Maybe then it would make sense.
But anyone who has been following this for more than a year should never have this question pop in their mind. And the fact that they want to propose that may be the reality is, number one, a lie, number two, normalizing propaganda, and number three, the problem with corporate news media covering trump.
They are incapable of describing the reality.
If you're MAGA, his legal fees are an investment. He just needs to make it to the election, and then all bets are off.
The PAC may have considered the costs strategic value. Trump is their nominee, and his removal would cause a power vacuum. This would splinter the vote-base and hand the victory to the democrats.
As for the individuals who still donated… if after all the horrible bullshit the republicans have done, well not paying trumps fees and risking his removal would be akin to not participating at all. So they have no choice but to be satisfied with the cost.
But it does point out the quagmire that drains the PAC’s funds that could have been used in the campaign, and thats an obstacle of their own making.
Definitely has some strategic value. According to polls a sizable fraction have said they wouldn't vote for a convicted candidate, so in effort to not lose voters he has to delay cases past the election or obtain not guilty verdicts.
Problem is getting a conviction in time. Of all the criminal cases, the only one that might have a verdict in time is the hush money one and I don't think that rises to a felony.
power vacuums are a myth
You're really gonna sit there and say that if Trump was removed, there wouldn't be a mad scramble to be the next candidate and that wouldn't have far reaching implications for the voter base that largely only wants to vote for Trump?
I'm saying that power vacuums are a myth
You describe repercussions in general, not what a power vaccuum does.
The repercussions of a power vaccuum.
No, you'te literally just saying, "things will be different" No fucking shit, Sherlock.
This is all a weird argument to take against my statement. There is no question that if trump is removed from the ballot that those who could take his place would fracture the party vote. Even if there was no one to replace him, or the party mandated who his replacement would be, states that individually remove him from the ballot would literally have a voting hole that no other candidate could fill, and cut into trumps vote block. His removal is the vacuum. It is the mechanism for change you agreed to with the phrase “no fucking shit, Sherlock”
Still not buying it. He's getting removed from the ballot in states he's going to lose either way. If he was removed all around, the Republicans would march out someone easily.
If that cannot happen, then there was no power for which a vaccuum would come.
No one gets to pick up the crown of a narcissist's cult. The narcissists themselves make sure of it. If the power isn't with the RNC, no vaccuum is made.
It just collapses.
The article should say despite claiming to be a billionaire.
Stupid question but it's that legal? Doesn't that money HAVE to go to his political endeavors,?
Nope.
According to the FEC:
"A nonconnected committee may expend its funds for any lawful purpose consistent with the Act and Commission regulations. An expenditure is a purchase, payment, distribution, loan, advance, deposit or gift of money or anything of value to influence a federal election."
Paying his legal fee certainly helps him. So. It's valid.
Didn't really understand it so thank you for clarifying.
Of course! Happy to help.
It's not like the people donating don't know that's what it's going to go to.
pretty sure the spam calls and emails to the poor saps only talk about "saving america"
then they're free to make up whatever it is they think that means
Then this is just it. Americans really are stupid at a level so great it's like a darkness/evil. Which means there's no hope anyway. That means this is the end coming.
Play stupid (fascist & criminal) games, win stupid prizes.
The stupid prize here is American democracy.