One of the first things you see on Donald Trump‘s website is a big, red “contribute” button. “We have a country to save. And I’m not giving up now – and I know you aren’t either. As the never-ending witch hunts heat up, please make a contribution to defend our movement and SAVE America,” the page reads. The money raised won’t necessarily go towards Trump’s 2024 campaign, however: a good chunk of the donations are paying the billionaire’s “remarkable” legal bills.
The New York Times reports that “financial reports show that the former president’s various political committees and the super PAC backing him have used roughly 30 cents of every dollar spent so far this year on legal-related costs.” That’s more than $27 million in legal fees and “other investigation-related bills” in the first six months of 2023 alone.
Mr. Trump, buddy, could I borrow $24 million for Taylor Swift tickets? Thanks.
The new disclosures revealed the remarkable degree to which Mr. Trump’s political and legal cash are intermingled, much like his own political and legal fate. Mr. Trump’s complex political orbit is already spending more than it is taking in, and tapping into money it raised years ago — an unusual trajectory this far out from an election. And the burn rate raises questions about whether such an approach is untenable, or whether Mr. Trump will eventually need to dip into his own fortune to pay for his lawyers, his 2024 campaign or both.
“This is going to be an incredibly expensive proposition,” criminal defense lawyer Ben Brafman told the Times. “Not only is he now dealing with three separate jurisdictions, and nobody really knows which case is going to come first, but they all need to be investigated, researched, and prepared at the same time by his attorneys.”
Somehow between the lawsuits, indictments, legal expenses, and, oh yeah, running for president, Trump still finds time to golf seemingly every day.
(Via the New York Times)