In March, Donald Trump spent $4.9 million on legal fees and only $6.8 million remained in the accounts he used to fund his lawyers, leaving him cash-strapped, according to campaign finance reports. as litigation costs rise.
That’s forcing Trump, facing criminal charges in Manhattan, to look for other sources of money to cover mounting legal costs. Trump could try to raise more money from donors, ask the Republican National Committee to cover the costs or pay the fees from his own wealth. The RNC said it would not pay Trump’s legal bills.
Trump has so far paid lawyers from Save America, a political action steering committee that can accept money from political donors. Since January 2023, Save America has spent more than $62 million in legal fees.
Save America ended March with about $4 million in cash on hand. He could also require a Trump-allied super-PAC to repay $2.8 million left over in donations received from Save America in 2022.
Trump’s legal troubles make him unlike any previous presidential candidate. In three separate trials, he has already been found guilty of sexual assault, libel and financial fraud related to the valuation of his assets. He also faces four other charges, including two charges of conspiracy to overturn the 2020 presidential election. His first criminal trial on charges of falsifying business records to conceal payments to a porn actress before the 2016 election began last week.
Since winning the GOP nomination, Trump has been trying to narrow the financial advantage enjoyed by President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party, whose combined military budget of $192 million at the end of March is twice his own. But ongoing legal battles continue to drain his coffers.
Trump Union Political Action Committee Make America Great Again Inc. raised $14 million and spent $6.3 million, according to the latest Federal Election Commission reports. Campaign finance laws prohibit the group from directly funding Trump’s legal bills.
Linda McMahon, who led the Small Business Administration in the first two years of Trump’s term, gave MAGA Inc. $5 million, and real estate and aerospace entrepreneur Robert Bigelow gave $4.2 million. The super PAC also received $50,000 from the New Jersey Electrical Workers Local Union PAC.