Concerned Republicans are calling on Donald Trump to unleash his super PAC’s $400 million war chest to give the GOP a much-needed boost in the midterms.
While the president’s MAGA Inc. super PAC has handed out some cash on friendly candidates such as Michigan Senate hopeful Mike Rogers and South Carolina Sen. Darlene Graham, some GOP donors and Republican lawmakers are demanding more ahead of November’s elections.
Their concern comes as the GOP is widely expected to lose control of the House in the midterms. Intense backlash to Trump’s second term, as reflected in his dire approval ratings, means the Senate could also be in play for Democrats in November.
“Our threat level should be up and people are going to have an expectation that you deploy all your resources,” one GOP donor told Politico. “He’s sitting on hundreds of millions of dollars, not doing that. We’re in September.”
There has been virtually no indication or commitment about how MAGA Inc. plans to spend its $400 million during this midterm cycle.
Trump, 80, has indicated that he intends to make the midterms a referendum on himself, including buying ads praising his apparent achievements in an effort to convince his unenthusiastic MAGA base to get out and vote.
With the midterms just 62 days away, even those close to Trump fear the money may not be spent at all.
“Oh my God, it’s September—this guy is not going to spend the money,” a Trump fundraiser and former administration official told Politico.
Another GOP donor also fears that the president will struggle to motivate voters if he only begins spending after Labor Day.
“It’s never too late but the president and his team are sledding way uphill this late in the year,” the second donor said.
“I think most people think he’s not going to spend anything but a slice of it. This is for him, this is for his purposes,” they added. “It’s not about getting other Republicans elected. He doesn’t care about that.”
MAGA Inc. isn’t directly controlled by the president or the White House. Super PACs are supposed to operate independently, but candidates often have significant sway over the organizations.
A third donor also said that the money MAGA Inc. has rolled out so far—including $827,000 to boost Sen. Graham in South Carolina—has been primarily used to “attack other Republicans” in bitter GOP primaries.
“But there are many House and Senate races where Republicans are fighting for their lives against well-funded Democratic challengers where additional support from the president’s super PAC could make the difference between Republicans being in the minority or majority next year,” the third donor said.
Elsewhere, Louisiana Sen. John Kennedy called on Trump to spend “$100 or $200 million in Texas,” where his endorsed Senate candidate, Ken Paxton, is running against Democrat James Talarico, during a Sunday appearance on Fox News.
There have been fears that Trump’s backing of the constantly embattled Paxton in the crucial Texas Senate race now puts the normally GOP-safe seat at risk of flipping to the Democrats for the first time since 1988.
Last week, Trump told reporters before leaving the White House for a Houston fundraiser that he was “going to help Ken Paxton” and spend “a lot of time in Texas.” MAGA Inc. still hasn’t publicly announced any spending plans for Paxton for the midterms.
“While MAGA Inc is committed to retaining and building the GOP majorities in the House and Senate, we are not in the habit of sharing our battle plans,” MAGA Inc. spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer told Politico.
The Daily Beast has contacted the White House and MAGA Inc. for comment.
