The fundraising committee formed by former President Donald Trump following his loss to Joe Biden in the 2020 presidential campaign raised $30.9 million in the final weeks of 2020, according to a report from The Hill . The number was disclosed on Sunday, following a filing with the Federal Election Commission. Trump’s leadership political action committee — commonly referred to as a PAC — “Save America” ended the year with nearly $31.2 million in cash. The PAC’s only expenses went toward fees charged by the Republican online fundraising platform WinRed, totaling $200,000.
The amount raised between November 24 and December 31, a time that saw the former president launch regular legal efforts to overturn the results of the election and make unfounded claims of fraud, could potentially make Trump an influential figure in Republican politics. He is currently facing a second Senate impeachment trial on a charge of inciting a deadly storming of the U.S. Capitol on January 6. Most Republican lawmakers have either stood by Trump or attacked the impeachment process. While the PAC would not be able to fund a potential 2024 campaign, it could be used to support or oppose Republican candidates during the 2022 congressional elections.
The $30.9 million raised by Save America is only part of Trump’s sizable war chest. During the same five-week window, the Trump Make America Great Again Committee raised $62.6 million. The joint fundraising operation which is affiliated with the businessman forwards the donations to the Republican National Committee and Save America. Filings reveal that it has sent $78.4 million so far, with $30.5 million going to Save America and $25.5 million directly to the Trump campaign. The committee currently retains $60 million in cash entering 2021.
Trump’s campaign raised $27 million during the five-week window. The filings revealed more of the funds raised went to advertising instead of a legal challenge, with $5 million paid to Harris Sikes Media for ad buys and $4.4 million to American Made Media Consultants for online advertising, among others. In total, the campaign spent $10 million on legal costs and lawyers.
The Democratic National Committee also reported a sizable amount of cash entering the new year. It currently retains more than $40 million following the joint fundraising committee with the Biden campaign. The organization has managed to service much of its debt during 2020, cutting the amount it owes to $3 million from a value that was about twice as much at the beginning of last year. They have recently appointed Jaime Harrison as chairmen, who they expect to boost fundraising. Harrison was able to secure a record-breaking amount of money in his losing Senatorial campaign against Lindsey Graham in 2020.