Former President Donald Trump’s political organization announced Monday that it has more than $122 million socked away, a massive sum that reaffirms his grip on the Republican Party — and could well scare away potential challengers for the next GOP presidential nomination.
Trump’s Save America leadership political action committee drew more than 1.6 million donations, much of it raised through Facebook, text messages and other online solicitations. The former president has tapped into a deep well of small-dollar donors that he cultivated during his time in the White House, supporters he would likely be able to carry into a 2024 comeback bid.
Most of the money — over $105 million — is in Save America PAC, which wouldn’t be able to transfer that money into a prospective future Trump campaign. But the former president can spend it at will to affect the 2022 midterms, and his ability to raise so much money in the first place highlights his singular position in the GOP.
Trump’s finance report, which reflects the second half of 2021, provides clues as to how his political operation is shaping up ahead of the next election, pulling back the curtain on which consultants he’s paying, how he’s using social media and which down-ballot allies he’s rewarding.