CLINGING ON

Lame Duck Trump Makes Desperate Move After Election Rout

Trump plans to use his financial clout to maintain his power over the GOP.

President Donald Trump is seeking to regain his hold over the GOP after his midterm wipeout with a new fundraising drive.

According to Axios, Trump has told advisors he’ll keep on raising money for his political operation, either through his MAGA Inc. super PAC or another organization.

The move could give Trump considerable sway over the party’s future as it seeks to recover from Tuesday’s disastrous midterm results, when Democrats won both houses of Congress.

He could use the money to stymie the re-election campaigns of critics within the party and boost those of allies as he enters his “lame duck” era.

MAGA Inc. is among the most powerful tools Trump holds as a Republican power broker, with the PAC raising around $450 million since 2025, according to Axios. It’s been boosted by huge donations from AI and crypto firms, as well as figures including Elon Musk.

The Campaign Legal Center watchdog has accused the organization of being a “pay-for-play ” operation, used by powerful donors to secure influence. The PAC has denied the claims.

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A source familiar with the PAC’s spending told Axios it spent around $400 million in the midterms, with reports saying it unleashed a $277 million spending blitz in the final weeks of the campaign, though it failed to hold off the Republican rout.

The president has long used his financial and political clout to silence critics, pouring millions into Ed Gallrein’s campaign to oust anti-Trump Rep. Thomas Massie in Kentucky’s House primary in May.

In the fallout from Tuesday’s midterms, where millions of voters rejected Trump’s tariff and Iran policies and the price increases they’ve caused, reports say Republicans are preparing to challenge the president’s agenda.

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Vice President JD Vance blamed the defeat on Trump’s Iran war in a post on X on Wednesday. And speaking anonymously to Politico, Republican officials said Trump was to blame for the defeat. “It’s a bloodbath,” one senior Senate GOP official told the outlet. “Trump did this.”

According to the Axios report, Trump may struggle to raise the same huge sums he pulled in during the first two years of his second term. Donors may be wary of attracting congressional scrutiny from Democratic lawmakers probing “pay-for-play” allegations, and others may wish to focus their financial firepower on candidates planning a 2028 bid as Trump nears the end of his two-term limit.

The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and MAGA Inc. for comment.

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Tom PorterBreaking News Reporter

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