MONEY TRAIL

Trump Used Donor Money From PACs to Fund Business Since Leaving Office, Report Says

The Trump Organization continued to charge Trump campaign committees rent and other fees even amid the pandemic.

Donald Trump has used $203,000 from political donors to fund his businesses since he left the White House, Forbes reports. The report by Dan Alexander says that according to a review of filings, the Trump Organization charged Save America, a leadership PAC created by Trump, some $79,000 in rent after he left office and an old Trump campaign committee $38,000 in rent at Trump Tower in New York. A separate entity, Trump Restaurants LLC, also has continued to take in money from tourists and supporters of the former president who visit his New York HQ. That firm continued to take in some $3,000 in rent a month for what is said to be a small kiosk at the site, even though the COVID-19 pandemic meant meant the former president’s properties received less traffic because of lockdowns. Trump released a statement that did not directly address the issue of using donor money to fund his business but claimed that his committees are financially healthy. “These fundraising numbers, coupled with tremendous support in so many other ways, show that President Trump’s supporters want him to continue the fight for the America First Agenda and the truth in the 2020 elections,” the statement read.