A super PAC supporting Donald Trump in his 2024 quest to return to the White House hauled in millions of dollars combined from deep-pocketed allies of the former president, filings show.
On Tuesday, a federal grand jury indicted Trump in Washington, D.C., on four new charges related to his alleged efforts to incite the Jan. 6 Capitol riot and challenge the results of the 2020 presidential election. Trump, who remains the highest polling GOP primary contender by a wide margin, was notably boosted between April and June thanks to four wealthy businessmen steering over $4 million to Make America Great Again Inc., which as a super PAC, can take unlimited sums though can't coordinate directly with the official Trump campaign, according to newly released campaign finance disclosures.
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The donations underscore how a handful of Trump's elite longtime allies have continued to back him amid significant legal pressure, despite Wall Street and other billionaires shelling out large contributions to the likes of other 2024 Republican candidates, including Sen. Tim Scott (R-SC), Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL), and ex-United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley. A RealClearPolitics primary polling average finds Trump at 53.9%, DeSantis at 18.1%, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy at 5%, ex-Vice President Mike Pence at 4.4%, Haley at 3.4%, and Scott at 3.1%.
An official for the Trump-allied super PAC declined a request for comment, pointing the Washington Examiner to reporting in the New York Times on how it purportedly received $15 million in July, more than the entity raised combined in the first six months of 2023, which was $13.1 million.
The super PAC has sent at least $12.25 million to the pro-Trump Save America PAC for legal bills, according to disclosures. Save America PAC has, in turn, spent over $21 million on Trump's legal expenses — which have ballooned after the other two indictments against him earlier this year. The indictments are related to his ex-lawyer Michael Cohen's "hush money" payments to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 and Trump's handling of classified documents.
One donor to the MAGA committee in April and June was Phil Ruffin, who owns the Treasure Island Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas and half of the Trump International Las Vegas hotel, alongside the former president. He contributed $2 million to the super PAC and separately has given almost $1.7 million to pro-Trump committees since 2016, disclosures show.
Woody Johnson, the co-owner of the New York Jets and former ambassador to the United Kingdom under Trump, contributed $1 million to the MAGA PAC in April, according to disclosures. Johnson previously gave $1 million in 2020 to America First Action, a pro-Trump super PAC, and $675,000 in 2016 and 2020 combined to Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee.
Charles Kushner steered $1 million in June to the super PAC. The disbarred former attorney and real estate developer, who is the father of Trump's son-in-law and ex-senior adviser Jared Kushner, was pardoned in 2020 by the former president after being convicted in 2005 in connection to witness tampering, tax evasion, and illegal campaign donations.
Meanwhile, MAGA PAC took $50,000 in June from Haim Chera, the son of the late Stanley Chera, a longtime Trump friend. Haim Chera is an executive at Vornado Realty Trust, a company headquartered in New York City that invests in Manhattan street retail and office buildings. Stanley Chera was involved in business with Charles Kushner before Chera died in April 2020 after contracting COVID-19.
"Am I going out like Stan Chera?" Trump asked in 2020 upon being flown to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for coronavirus treatment. "Am I?"
While Trump has continued to receive support from certain prior backers, newly released disclosures shed light on how some of his particularly wealthy ex-allies have jumped ship. Billionaire shipping magnate Richard Uihlein and his wife, Elizabeth Uihlein, gave $1 million each in April and May to Never Back Down, a super PAC aligned with DeSantis, for instance, after handing over $3 million combined in 2020 to America First Action.
Warren Stephens, who runs the investment bank Stephens Inc., and in 2020 donated over $3 million combined to America First Action and to pro-Trump Preserve America PAC, poured $1 million this year into a committee called America Strong and Free Action Inc., which is supporting ex-Gov. Asa Hutchinson's (R-AK) long shot presidential bid. Scott also received millions of dollars from former Trump backers, the Washington Examiner reported.
Trump is scheduled to appear on Thursday at 4 p.m. before Magistrate Judge Moxila Upadhyaya at a Washington courthouse. U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan, who was assigned to handle special counsel Jack Smith's case against the former president, is an Obama-era appointee and, between 2008 and 2012, donated $4,300 to support Barack Obama's presidential campaign, the Washington Examiner reported.
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The indictment also listed six unnamed alleged co-conspirators, which appear to point to ex-Trump lawyers Rudy Giuliani, John Eastman, and Sidney Powell, as well as ex-Justice Department official Jeffrey Clark and pro-Trump lawyer Kenneth Chesebro. The sixth co-conspirator hasn't been confirmed.
Trump said in a statement Tuesday the Smith charges were "nothing more than the latest corrupt chapter in the continued pathetic attempt by the Biden Crime Family and their weaponized Department of Justice to interfere with the 2024 Presidential Election."