- Donald Trump spent $52,431,858 on legal fees in 2023 using PAC funds, a Business Insider analysis found.
- The vast majority — nearly $40 million — went to law firms working on his personal legal problems.
- Trump spent this small fortune in donor money on his legal fees despite being a billionaire.
Former President Donald Trump has a lot of legal problems.
So do his company and three eldest children.
Often, political donors are footing the bill.
A Business Insider analysis has found that Trump supporters funded at least $52,431,858 in legal services in 2023 through two political action committees the GOP frontrunner controls.
Nearly $40 million of the $52.4 million in donor money was spent on law firms working on cases that had nothing to do with Trump’s candidacy for the 2024 presidential election, the analysis found.
The legions of MAGA faithful may not have been aware of this when they parted with their small-dollar donations last year, galvanized by Trump’s cries of “witch hunt” as he was indicted in a New York hush-money scheme in April and a Georgia election-interference case in August.
But significant portions of their donations went to law firms defending Trump in civil cases involving his real-estate empire and its top executives, including Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, and Ivanka Trump.
The PAC may have considered the costs strategic value. Trump is their nominee, and his removal would cause a power vacuum. This would splinter the vote-base and hand the victory to the democrats.
As for the individuals who still donated… if after all the horrible bullshit the republicans have done, well not paying trumps fees and risking his removal would be akin to not participating at all. So they have no choice but to be satisfied with the cost.
But it does point out the quagmire that drains the PAC’s funds that could have been used in the campaign, and thats an obstacle of their own making.
Definitely has some strategic value. According to polls a sizable fraction have said they wouldn’t vote for a convicted candidate, so in effort to not lose voters he has to delay cases past the election or obtain not guilty verdicts.
Problem is getting a conviction in time. Of all the criminal cases, the only one that might have a verdict in time is the hush money one and I don’t think that rises to a felony.
power vacuums are a myth
You’re really gonna sit there and say that if Trump was removed, there wouldn’t be a mad scramble to be the next candidate and that wouldn’t have far reaching implications for the voter base that largely only wants to vote for Trump?
You describe repercussions in general, not what a power vaccuum does.
The repercussions of a power vaccuum.
No, you’te literally just saying, “things will be different” No fucking shit, Sherlock.
This is all a weird argument to take against my statement. There is no question that if trump is removed from the ballot that those who could take his place would fracture the party vote. Even if there was no one to replace him, or the party mandated who his replacement would be, states that individually remove him from the ballot would literally have a voting hole that no other candidate could fill, and cut into trumps vote block. His removal is the vacuum. It is the mechanism for change you agreed to with the phrase “no fucking shit, Sherlock”
Still not buying it. He’s getting removed from the ballot in states he’s going to lose either way. If he was removed all around, the Republicans would march out someone easily.
If that cannot happen, then there was no power for which a vaccuum would come.
No one gets to pick up the crown of a narcissist’s cult. The narcissists themselves make sure of it. If the power isn’t with the RNC, no vaccuum is made.
It just collapses.
I’m saying that power vacuums are a myth