Donald Trump is sitting on a political war chest – and is keeping it for himself

The 45th president has endorsed more than 100 candidates but has been less forthcoming with donations, writes Chris Stevenson

Donald Trump (AP)

If there was any doubt about the hold Donald Trump still has on the Republican Party, his fundraising power is an apt illustration.

The former president’s Save America PAC (political action committee) ended January with $108m (£79m) in its war chest – with the party’s Republican National Committee (RNC) ending the same period with under $52m. A ridiculous difference.

The Trump PAC received $4.1m and spent $1.5m in the first month of 2022, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission, but the RNC instead spent more than it received – $17.6m to $13m – including a substantial donation to the National Republican Senatorial Committee (which backs the party’s candidates for the Senate).

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Trump is clearly insisting on keeping the money he has raised for himself, alongside an aggressive policy of reaching out to potential donors across the country with email blasts several times a day. Not that the RNC is against using Trump’s name as part of its fundraising efforts – the cachet it still has is clear.

A further dig into the numbers by Bloomberg shows just how clear Trump’s priorities are: “Save America has donated just $350,500 to candidates since July. That’s less than the $838,000 the PAC spent on event staging and related expenses in January.” And it is not like Trump isn’t endorsing candidates. Since he left office, the 45th president has offered his support to more than 100 candidates as part of the 2022 election cycle – he is just far more likely to provide an encouraging word at a political rally or a statement than provide monetary aid. Even to those who have shown the requisite “loyalty”.

Trump’s team may be thinking that this money could be spent on events, television air time, social media advertising – or even towards organisations who are in line with his agenda. If the January spending is any indication, we will be seeing plenty more events as we move towards the midterms in November.

While the vast majority of the funds in the Save America PAC cannot be spent directly on a 2024 presidential run, it certainly shows just how big Trump remains with Republicans across the US.