As my colleague streiff reported earlier this month, the legal fees former President Donald Trump is facing from the Lawfarepalooza waged against him is crushing his campaign finances, dominating most of the outflow.
Federal Elections Commission filings released Monday show former President Donald Trump’s Save America PAC has $3.6 million cash on hand after spending $30 million in the second quarter of 2023. Save America PAC started the year with $105 million in the bank and raised $53.9 million in the first half of 2023. This report reflects a claw-back of $12,250,000 from former President Trump’s Make America Great Again Super PAC, believed to be the largest such return of funds in FEC history.
The legal battles appear to be ramping up, as the Fulton County, Georgia D.A. states she will be charging Trump soon. Ahead of his appearance on Saturday at the Iowa State Fair, Trump took to his social media site Truth Social to place blame for his legal money woes solely on the Left.
Former President Donald Trump on Saturday blamed his political enemies for legal fees he’s incurred over the course of three recent indictments.
Trump posted on his social media site Truth Social slamming the “Lunatic Left” for his “vast” legal fees, less than two weeks after FEC filings revealed that his operation is bleeding campaign funds to pay bills related to his mounting legal challenges.
Trump’s Save America PAC shrank from over $100 million at the beginning of last year to $3.6 million after bankrolling legal fees for the former president and his allies, according to filings first reported in The Washington Post. Filings also show that Save America and five other Trump committees have spent a total of over $40 million in legal fees since the start of 2021.
WATCH:
When asked whether he would be taking a plea deal in Fulton County, Trump did his usual pushback with the press.
JUST NOW: Before leaving Iowa, Donald Trump tells reporters he will never take a plea deal, specifically in Georgia.
Reporter: “Is there any chance you take a plea deal in Georgia?”
Trump: “We did nothing wrong. We don't ever take a plea deal. We don't take plea deals. It's a… pic.twitter.com/UkpUBoq9bm
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 12, 2023
As my colleague Nick Arama wrote last week, throwing everything at the wall to stop Trump does not seem to be working out very well for the Left. The American people who support Trump have not and will not budge. The American people who believe in the rule of law and not a two-tier justice system that weaponizes law enforcement against citizens who they do not like may well start leaning in Trump’s direction the longer this plays out.
In fact, with each indictment, his strength in the GOP primary has grown. Some of the polls have also indicated Trump is leading Biden. The most recent Morning Consult poll has him up by a point, for example, with 6,000 registered voters.
Sunday morning’s Real Clear Politics Average poll temperature shows Trump is still above the fray at 43 percent, while Florida Governor Ron DeSantis trails far behind at 15 percent. In Iowa, Trump is at 44 percent, DeSantis is at 17 percent, and Senator Tim Scott has taken the No. 3 slot with nine percent. If the Fulton County D.A. goes full speed ahead with another indictment, we may well see another “Trump bump” from this.
The Trump enthusiasm, at least in Iowa, has not dissipated and ultimately translates into fundraising. Americans will continue to support the former president financially, in large and small ways. Which is why legacy media talking head and former Fox News pundit Jonah Goldberg had to sound the bat signal about the dangerous unchecked rubes who keep giving money to Trump.
Jonah Goldberg knocks small-dollar campaign donors:
"Large donors actually have a strategic view about moderation, who can win, who can't. Small donors really are just venting their spleen with their credit card." pic.twitter.com/PaJteFMWbq— Nicholas Fondacaro (@NickFondacaro) August 10, 2023
Cry more, Jonah.
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