Donald Trump’s Campaign Spent Close To $400K In Donations On President’s Businesses In Two-Day Period
Donald Trump’s campaign spent close to $400,000 at properties owned by the president’s company in a matter of just two days earlier this year, federal campaign filings show.
As The HuffPost reported, the campaign notified the Federal Election Commission of 43 transactions that took place on March 31 and April 1 of this year that went directly into businesses owned by the president. The report noted that the transactions were listed as “facility rental/catering services” to the “Trump Hotel Collection,” which a campaign official said was for a donor retreat held at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
CNBC had previously reported on efforts to reach out to donors. Trump met with top Republican supporters at these events in an effort to assure them that the administration had the coronavirus outbreak under control.
“Trump, who attended a Republican National Committee donor retreat at his private resort at Mar-a-Lago in Florida, told financiers Friday that his administration is making public health and safety a No. 1 priority, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter,” the report noted, citing a source who asked not to be named as the remarks were made in private.
The campaign has since moved to holding mostly virtual events, as the coronavirus outbreak has put tight restrictions on in-person gatherings. Trump did hold a rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month, but attendance fell short of predictions from then-campaign manager Brad Parscale.
The campaign had planned another rally in New Hampshire but it was canceled. At the time, officials cited inclement weather as the reason for the cancelation, but some insiders indicated that it was to avoid the embarrassment of another poorly attended event.
The campaign spending at Trump-owned properties appear to conflict with promises that he would keep his business interests separate from his presidency, noted Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold. Trump did not divest from his businesses at the start of his presidency, as his predecessors have done, but instead said that he would not be involved in any of its operations, which would instead be led by his adult sons.
As The HuffPost added, Trump has come under fire for spending taxpayer money at his company’s properties, including $500,000 in taxpayer money for trips to his golf resorts, where Secret Service agents pay to rent rooms and golf carts.
“Business executives and foreign leaders also spend an untold amount of money at Trump’s properties, which critics warn can serve as thinly veiled bribes for special favors and federal contracts doled out by the president,” the report added.
