Former US President Donald Trump has moved tens of thousands of dollars from his donors into his private business after he lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden.
Nearly $2.8 million from donors were funneled by his reelection campaign into the Trump Organization throughout the duration of his presidency, including at least $81,000 since his election loss, according to Forbes.
One of Trump’s campaign’s joint-fundraising groups, associated with the Republican Party, also shifted another $4.3 million raised from campaign donors into his business while he was in office, including $331,000 after Election Day.
The joint-fundraising committee also paid Trump’s hotels around $300,000 for room rentals, space and catering, a week after the media declared Biden the winner of the election.
Almost a month after Election Day, his campaign paid $38,000 to Trump Tower Commercial LLC, a company which the former president owns a stake in.
The payments were made public in the filings the campaign submitted to the Federal Election Commission and were listed to cover costs including rent, airfare, lodging, and other expenses.
According to watchdog organization CREW, Trump’s campaign and the joint-fundraising committee with the Republican National Committee (RNC), along with Trump-affiliated super PAC America First Action, spent over $7 million and held 32 events at properties the former president owns.
CREW found that special interest groups likely spent over $13 million at properties owned by Trump.
“In the past four years special interest groups, foreign governments, and political groups together held more than 250 events at 14 Trump properties, likely resulting in tens of millions of dollars of revenue for the Trump Organization,” the group reported.
“In all, special interest groups have hosted 142 events, political groups have hosted 100, and foreign governments or foreign government-sponsored groups have hosted another 13.”
This is not the first time it has been revealed that Trump funneled campaign money to his private businesses.
A July report by The Washington Post showed the campaign sent nearly $400,000 to the Trump Organization in just two days.