Former President Donald Trump’s legal woes are continuing to pile up, and they’re costing his team – literally.
In the first half of this year, Trump’s joint fundraising committee — an entity that allows multiple candidates or organizations to raise money collectively — has burned through over $52 million, or nearly all of the $53.9 million it raised in the same timeframe, according to recent FEC filings. Additionally, Trump’s Save America leadership PAC — an organization that receives some funds from the joint fundraising committee, and that has fewer limits on how money can be spent — began 2022 with about $105 million cash on hand, and now only has roughly $3.6 million.
A major source of the groups’ expenses is legal fees for Trump and his former aides as they face multiple investigations. In addition to fielding numerous civil lawsuits, Trump has been indicted twice and could be indicted at least two more times. A July filing from Trump’s Save America PAC revealed that it had spent roughly $21 million on legal fees in the last six months, or over 70 percent of its expenditures, per CNN.
These costs, and his myriad legal problems, have yet to hurt Trump’s standing in the Republican primary; in fact, his polling may be improving. A recent New York Times/Siena poll has Trump continuing to dominate the Republican field, with 54 percent of likely GOP voters choosing him as their top choice and just 17 percent saying the same of his closest rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. The lawsuits may hurt Trump among swing voters, however, and surveys have been much tighter for the general election: Another recent NYT/Siena poll shows Biden and Trump both receiving 43 percent of voters’ support, for example.
Trump’s legal issues are a pricey distraction
Trump’s legal problems, which could grow in the next few weeks, are proving to be an expensive distraction for his campaign.
Already, Trump has been indicted twice: first in a New York…
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