Trump PACs brought in over $82M for the first half of 2021

Former President Trump’s political action committees (PACs) raked in over $82 million in the first half of 2021, according to political finance filings made public Saturday, with the ex-commander-in-chief reporting more than $100 million available on hand. 

The Federal Election Commission (FEC) filings, first reported by The Washington Post, were reported for Trump’s leadership PAC Save America, a PAC called Make America Great Again and a joint fundraising committee that oversees and administers funds to both groups. 

Trump, who, according to the filings has $102 million on hand, was outpaced only slightly in the first six months of 2021 by the Republican National Committee, which reported raising $84 million. 

The sums of money demonstrate Trump’s fundraising prowess even after leaving the Oval Office, including through fundraising efforts fueled by his unsupported claims of a stolen 2020 presidential election. 

The filings were made public on the final day PACs are eligible to disclose fundraising and spending for the first half of the year. 

Previously filed FEC filings revealed that his Save America PAC, which was formed after the 2020 election to help fund the Trump team’s election legal efforts, had brought in nearly $31.2 million by the end of 2020. 

However, the Post reported earlier this month that the PAC had not yet used any of the roughly $75 million raised to help finance election reviews.

People familiar with the matter told the news outlet that while the committee has held onto much of the money, a portion was used to pay for some of Trump’s expenses, including travel and legal costs, as well as staff pay. 

Trump has repeatedly sent out messages through the PAC to advance his unsupported claims of widespread voter fraud, as well as statements supporting election audits, including the one that continues in Arizona’s Maricopa County. 

Trump has broad authority over how he can use the money collected by his political groups, though he has signaled that he would use some funds in support of allied candidates in the 2022 midterm elections.