๐ฎ๐ฐ๐จโโ๏ธ Trump Make Da Kala Flow, Move Um Into PAC Dat Been Paying Dem Legal Fee, Brah!
No notice kine change wen happen fo’ Donald Trump’s online aloha for da kala. Make him move plenty kine dollah from da 2024 contributions to da group dat been dropping millions fo’ pay his legal fees, ah?
Facing plenny kine serious hana hewa, ex-President Donald J. Trump been on da down low shifting more of da kala he raising away from his 2024 presidential campaign and into one political action committee dat he been using fo’ take care his personal legal fees. ๐ต๏ธ๐ผ๐ฐ
Dis change, nobody wen talk about except in da small kine print of his online talk stories, get plenny new questions about how Mr. Trump paying for his big kine legal bills โ might be in da millions of dollahs โ as he getting ready for at least two criminal court dates, and if his PAC, Save America, stay broke or what. ๐ค๐๐ต
When Mr. Trump wen start his 2024 campaign in November, every dollah raised online, 99 cents went to his campaign, and one penny went to Save America.
But da internet records show dat sometime in February or March, he wen change dat split. Now his campaign’s share wen go down to 90 percent of donations, and 10 percent go Save America. ๐ฒ๐๐ธ
Da effect of dat change could be big kine: Based on da kala-raising numbers announced by his campaign, da small kine maneuver might have already moved at least $1.5 million to Save America. ๐๐ฐ
And da group being there let Mr. Trump have his small kine donors pay for his legal expenses, instead of him paying for them himself. ๐ฅ๐ธ๐จโโ๏ธ
Steven Cheung, one spokesman for Mr. Trump, never answer da detailed questions about why da Trump operation wen change how da funds he raising are being split. Save America technically own da list of email addresses and phone numbers of his supporters โ one of da former presidentโs most valuable stuffs โ and da campaign effectively paying da PAC for access to that list, he explain. ๐ง๐ฑ๐ฐ
Da different rules governing what political action committees and candidate campaign committees can pay for are both make-head-spin and kinda up for argument. But mostly, a PAC no can spend money directly on the candidateโs campaign, and a campaign committee no can directly pay for things that benefit the candidate personally. ๐จโโ๏ธ๐๐
For more than one year, before Mr. Trump was a 2024 candidate, Save America been paying for bills related to different kine investigations into the former president and his allies. In February 2022, the PAC wen announce dat it had $122 million in its money box. ๐ผ๐๐ต
By da start of 2023, the PACโs cash on hand wen go down to $18 million, filings show. The rest had been spent on staff salaries, on the costs of Mr. Trumpโs political activities last year โ including some spending on other candidates and groups โ and in other ways. That included the $60 million that was moved to MAGA Inc., a super PAC that supporting Mr. Trump. And more than $16 million went fo’ pay legal bills. ๐ต๐๐จโ๐ผ
Mr. Trumpโs competition no making the same split of their online proceeds with one affiliated PAC. Da websites of former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley and Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina direct all the proceeds to their campaign committees. Same thing for Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, former Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey and Vivek Ramaswamy. ๐ฅ๏ธ๐ต๐จโ๐ผ
Before Mr. Trumpโs latest campaign, his legal bills wen blow up big kine. Save America spent $1.9 million in what it called legal expenses in the first half of 2022. Dat figure wen grow to nearly $14.6 million in the second half of last year, federal records show. ๐ฃ๐ต๐
Late 2022, one Trump advisor said dat about $20 million had been set aside by Save America PAC fo’ cover legal expenses.
Since then, Mr. Trump has been hana hewa two times, once by a Manhattan grand jury on charges coming from one hush-money payment to one porn star, and once by a federal grand jury in Florida on charges including violations of the Espionage Act because Mr. Trump had classified material and government records long time after he left office. ๐๏ธ๐ตโ๏ธ
One big kine attorney, Todd Blanche, left his white-collar law firm in April to join the former presidentโs legal team and now representing him in both cases, and Mr. Trump recently met with about a half-dozen lawyers in Florida. ๐จโโ๏ธ๐ผ๐ฅ
Mr. Trumpโs legal pilikia all tangled up with his political campaign and fund-raising efforts. His campaign store selling one โI Stand With Trumpโ T-shirt showing the date of his hana hewa in Manhattan (โ03.30.2023โ) for $36; recently added one second shirt with his Florida hana hewa date (โ06.08.2023โ) for $38. Half the items on the storeโs front page show one fake mug shot and the words โnot guilty.โ ๐๐โ๏ธ
And Mr. Trumpโs usual legal strategy โ wait, wait, wait โ could end up costing plenty as more than one team of white-collar lawyers defend him in the federal case and the Manhattan criminal case, as well as in the investigation in Georgia, where Mr. Trump could get one more hana hewa dis summer for his part in trying to flip the 2020 election. He also dealing with one investigation getting more serious by the special counsel Jack Smith into his efforts to hang on to power after losing the election. โฑ๏ธ๐๏ธ๐
Stay unclear if Mr. Trump going try to use his campaign funds fo’ pay for lawyers, if he run into problems with the political action committee โ and if such a move would break the spending rules.
โHe can use the campaign to pay for legal bills that come up out of candidate or officeholder activity โ and of course, some of the current legal matters fall into that category, and some do not, and some are in one gray area,โ Mr. Noti said. โReally depends on what matter weโre talking about.โ ๐คทโโ๏ธ๐ธโ๏ธ
Jason Torchinsky, a Republican election lawyer, said he believe Mr. Trump no can use Save America donations to pay his personal legal expenses now that heโs a candidate, arguing that doing so would be โan excessive contributionโ under Federal Election Commission precedent. And he said Mr. Trump no can use campaign money at all, because it would qualify as personal use. ๐ซ๐ฐโ๏ธ
Been signs dat Mr. Trumpโs campaign been careful watching its expenses.
He mainly been going to events organized by other groups, not setting up his own big kine political rallies, which were the main part of his two past runs for president and one of his favorite parts of campaigning. Those rallies cost plenty, at least $150,000 and usually more than $400,000. ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฃ๏ธ
Mr. Trump only held one full-scale rally in the seven months he been running, with a second one planned on July 1 in South Carolina, his first in one early-nominating state. (A rally in Iowa on May 13 was canceled after a tornado warning, even though the weather cleared and Mr. DeSantis went ahead with one impromptu event nearby.) ๐ช๏ธ๐ช๐ซ
People familiar with the Trump campaignโs plans said that the lack of rallies was as much about saving resources as it was about getting Mr. Trump to talk with voters in a more traditional way. The people also said that more big kine events might happen in the fall, as the primary race getting hotter. ๐ณ๏ธ๐ช๐
But the fund-raising surges that Mr. Trump had after his first hana hewa at the end of March and again in June expected to cover up a broader fund-raising slowdown. His campaign announced that he raised $12 million in the first week after his first hana hewa and $7 million in the week after his second one. He going next disclose the state of his PAC and campaignโs finances in federal filings in July. ๐๐ฐ๐๏ธ
Mr. Trump really depending on online fund-raising. He only held one major campaign fund-raiser that was advertised as such by his team: the event at Bedminster on the evening of his hana hewa. It raised $2 million. ๐ฅ๏ธ๐ต๐
NOW IN ENGLISH
๐ฎ๐ฐ๐จโโ๏ธ Trump Makes the Money Flow, Moves It Into PAC That’s Been Paying His Legal Fees, Bro!
There has been a significant change in Donald Trump’s online fundraising, with him transferring a substantial amount of money from his 2024 campaign contributions to a group that has been covering his legal expenses. ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐จโโ๏ธ
In the face of serious legal troubles, former President Donald J. Trump has quietly shifted more of the funds he raises away from his 2024 presidential campaign and into a political action committee that he has been using to handle his personal legal fees. ๐ต๏ธ๐ผ๐ฐ
This change, which has not been widely discussed, raises many questions about how Mr. Trump is paying for his hefty legal bills, potentially in the millions of dollars, as he prepares for at least two criminal court dates. It also raises concerns about the financial status of his PAC, Save America. ๐ค๐๐ต
When Mr. Trump launched his 2024 campaign in November, every dollar raised online meant 99 cents went to his campaign, and one penny went to Save America.
However, internet records indicate that sometime in February or March, he changed this allocation. Now, his campaign’s share has decreased to 90 percent of the donations, while 10 percent goes to Save America. ๐ฒ๐๐ธ
This change could have significant implications. Based on the fundraising numbers announced by his campaign, this adjustment may have already transferred at least $1.5 million to Save America. ๐๐ฐ
Furthermore, this arrangement allows the group to cover Mr. Trump’s legal expenses, relieving him of the burden of paying for them himself. ๐ฅ๐ธ๐จโโ๏ธ
Steven Cheung, a spokesman for Mr. Trump, did not provide detailed explanations as to why the Trump campaign altered the allocation of funds. He did mention that Save America technically owns the list of email addresses and phone numbers of his supporters, which is one of the former president’s most valuable assets. The campaign effectively pays the PAC for access to that list. ๐ง๐ฑ๐ฐ
The rules governing what political action committees and candidate campaign committees can pay for are complex and subject to debate. Generally, a PAC cannot directly spend money on a candidate’s campaign, and a campaign committee cannot directly pay for expenses that exclusively benefit the candidate personally. ๐จโโ๏ธ๐๐
For over a year, prior to Mr. Trump becoming a 2024 candidate, Save America had been covering the costs of various investigations into the former president and his allies. In February 2022, the PAC announced that it had $122 million in its coffers. ๐ผ๐๐ต
By the beginning of 2023, the PAC’s cash on hand had decreased to $18 million, according to filings. The remaining funds were spent on staff salaries, expenses related to Mr. Trump’s political activities the previous year, including support for other candidates and groups, and various other purposes. This included $60 million that was transferred to MAGA Inc., a super PAC supporting Mr. Trump, and over $16 million that went towards legal bills. ๐ต๐๐จโ๐ผ
Unlike Mr. Trump, other candidates such as former Vice President Mike Pence, former Ambassador Nikki Haley, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida, former Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey, and Vivek Ramaswamy have not made the same split of their online proceeds with an affiliated PAC. They direct all the proceeds to their campaign committees. ๐ฅ๏ธ๐ต๐จโ๐ผ
Prior to Mr. Trump’s recent campaign, his legal expenses had already skyrocketed. Save America spent $1.9 million on legal expenses in the first half of 2022, which increased to nearly $14.6 million in the second half of the year, according to federal records. ๐ฃ๐ต๐
In late 2022, a Trump advisor revealed that approximately $20 million had been set aside by Save America PAC to cover legal expenses.
Since then, Mr. Trump has faced legal challenges on two occasions. He was indicted by a Manhattan grand jury on charges related to a hush-money payment to a porn star and by a federal grand jury in Florida on charges including violations of the Espionage Act, as he mishandled classified material and government records long after leaving office. ๐๏ธ๐ตโ๏ธ
To handle these legal troubles, Mr. Trump has enlisted the services of attorney Todd Blanche, who left his white-collar law firm to join the former president’s legal team. Blanche is representing Mr. Trump in both cases, and recently, Mr. Trump met with several other lawyers in Florida. ๐จโโ๏ธ๐ผ๐ฅ
The legal predicaments faced by Mr. Trump are intertwined with his political campaign and fundraising efforts. His campaign store sells “I Stand With Trump” T-shirts featuring the dates of his Manhattan and Florida indictments. Additionally, a significant portion of the store’s front page features fake mug shots with the words “not guilty.” ๐๐โ๏ธ
Mr. Trump’s usual legal strategy of delaying legal proceedings could end up being costly, as multiple teams of white-collar lawyers defend him in the federal and Manhattan cases, as well as the investigation in Georgia related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election. He is also facing an investigation by special counsel Jack Smith into his actions after losing the election. โฑ๏ธ๐๏ธ๐
It remains uncertain whether Mr. Trump will attempt to use his campaign funds to pay for lawyers or if he will encounter issues with the political action committee. Moreover, such a move may potentially violate spending rules.
“He can use the campaign to pay for legal bills that arise from candidate or officeholder activity โ and of course, some of the current legal matters fall into that category, and some do not, and some are in a gray area,” said Mr. Noti. “It really depends on the specific matter.” ๐คทโโ๏ธ๐ธโ๏ธ
Jason Torchinsky, a Republican election lawyer, believes that Mr. Trump cannot use donations to Save America to cover his personal legal expenses now that he is a candidate. He argues that doing so would be considered “an excessive contribution” according to Federal Election Commission precedent. Torchinsky also states that Mr. Trump cannot use campaign funds at all, as it would be considered personal use. ๐ซ๐ฐโ๏ธ
There are signs that Mr. Trump’s campaign has been cautious with its expenses. He has primarily attended events organized by other groups rather than hosting his own large-scale political rallies, which were a prominent feature of his previous presidential runs and his preferred method of campaigning. These rallies were costly, ranging from at least $150,000 to over $400,000. ๐ฐ๐ช๐ฃ๏ธ
During the seven months of his campaign, Mr. Trump held only one full-scale rally, with a second one planned for July 1 in South Carolina, marking his first rally in an early-nominating state. A rally in Iowa scheduled for May 13 was canceled due to a tornado warning, although the weather cleared, and Governor DeSantis proceeded with an impromptu event nearby. ๐ช๏ธ๐ช๐ซ
Insiders familiar with the Trump campaign’s plans suggest that the absence of rallies is not only about conserving resources but also about allowing Mr. Trump to engage with voters in a more traditional manner. They also indicate that more significant events may occur in the fall as the primary race heats up. ๐ณ๏ธ๐ช๐
While Mr. Trump experienced surges in fundraising following his recent indictments in March and June, these boosts are expected to offset a broader slowdown in fundraising. The campaign announced that it raised $12 million in the first week after the initial indictment and $7 million in the week after the second one. Details regarding the financial status of his PAC and campaign will be disclosed in federal filings in July. ๐๐ฐ๐๏ธ
Mr. Trump heavily relies on online fundraising efforts. The only major campaign fundraiser advertised by his team was an event at Bedminster on the evening of his indictment, which raised $2 million. ๐ฅ๏ธ๐ต๐
