WASHINGTON -- President Donald Trump has bragged about building a political war chest exceeding $1.5 billion — a staggering sum that he can wield at his whim to shape November’s midterms and the 2028 race to succeed him.Trump's stockpile — which dwarfs any amounts raised by his predecessors in their second terms — is not easy to precisely calculate given that much of it is being collected by groups that aren’t required to file regular financial disclosures.Current and former staffers, as well as others in Trump’s orbit, wouldn’t say exactly where his political bank account stands six months after the president announced on social media that he’d raised, just since Election Day 2024, “in various forms and political entities, in excess of 1.5 Billion Dollars.”But what is not in question is that it represents a mountain of cash that could reshape Republican politics for years to come — if he chooses.
He’s been reluctant to spend money on other people’s races in the past, and he’s even found ways to funnel some cash to his own businesses.The $1.5 billion Trump claimed is roughly equal to what he and outside groups spent on his successful 2024 reelection bid, according to OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group that tracks political spending.By comparison, Democratic President Joe Biden’s various super PACs, political groups and nonprofits, as well as the Democratic National Committee, raised roughly $97 million during his first year in office, according to public disclosures.
That's only about 7% of Trump’s total, and Biden was gearing up for a reelection run Trump isn’t allowed to make.“I think a lot of people are asking, ‘What is it all for?’” said Saurav Ghosh, federal campaign finance reform director at the Washington nonprofit Campaign Legal Center.People close to Trump say the main benefit of all that cash is unmatched influence heading into November.They insist Trump is eager to help Republicans so his political agenda isn’...