Trump rakes in $30m in political donations as he faces second impeachment trial

Donald Trump continues to exert serious influence over the Republican party

File image: Donald Trump is not the US president any more but still exercising major influence over the Republican party   (AP)

Former president Donald Trump’s new political action committee received more than $30m (£21.85m) in the last weeks of 2020 after the US elections while he was repeatedly claiming voter fraud without any evidence. 

The filings of Mr Trump's Save America political action committee with the Federal Election Commission, which cover activity between 24 November-31 December, shows that it started 2021 with $31.1m (£22.64) in cash reserves.

The former president is facing a second impeachment trial in the US Senate, but the filings show that Mr Trump, who received more votes in 2020 compared to his total votes in 2016, enjoys a solid financial backing from his supporters.  

This money was the result of Mr Trump aggressively seeking new donations to fund his challenge to election fraud claims. Mr Trump, who was rumoured to start a new party, is also continuing to exercise serious influence within the Republican party.  

According to a CNN report, the first and the largest cut of contributions from these funds went to “Save America, which is a major vehicle for his post-presidential political activity.”  

The filing shows that Save America spent only about $200,000 in the final weeks of 2020. However, Mr Trump's campaign committee has millions in expenses towards his legal and advertising fees.  

Mr Trump is also expected to face substantial legal expenses during the impeachment trial that is scheduled to start in the Senate next week.  

Mr Trump’s campaign reportedly has about $10.7m (£7.79m) in cash and while the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, which is a joint fundraising committee including the Republican National Committee, Trump's campaign and ‘Save America’, started 2021 with about $59.8m (£43.54m).

These funds with Mr Trump means that millions of dollars would be available for him to use for his activities or for funding Republican candidates to continue influencing party politics.  

Recently after the meeting of Mr Trump with the House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California, a sign of the former president’s influence, Save America issued a statement saying that Mr Trump's “popularity has never been stronger than it is today, and his endorsement means more than perhaps any endorsement at any time.”