10 months ago
A pro-Donald Trump super PAC raised over $46 million in the second half of 2023 and ended the year with just over $23 million in cash on hand, as it gears up for the general election.
More than a dozen donors gave $1 million or more to the Trump-aligned MAGA Inc. But the biggest donation by far came from Timothy Mellon, a transportation executive and heir to the Mellon banking fortune, who wrote a $10 million check.
Other seven-figure donors include WWE founder and Trump-era Small Business Administration head Linda McMahon, who contributed $5.25 million; construction executive Diane Hendricks, who gave $5 million; and oil billionaire Timothy Dunn, who also contributed $5 million. Dunn is relatively new to the Trump fold, and his donation is the single biggest he has given to a political committee.
Other major donors to MAGA Inc. include Southern California real estate developer Geoffrey Palmer, Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus and oil and gas executive George Bishop, each of whom contributed $1 million.
The super PAC provided its figures to POLITICO ahead of next week’s campaign finance reporting deadline. The $46 million the organization raised in the second half of 2023 represents a major uptick from the $13 million it took in during the first half of the year. MAGA Inc. has been urging donors to give early, warning that they will face hundreds of millions of dollars in expenditures from Democrats ahead of July’s Republican National Convention.
The rise in donations reflects the growing belief among the Republican Party’s donor class that Trump is all but certain to be the GOP’s nominee. It also shows that Trump has been able to maintain connections to some of the donors who backed his previous campaigns.
Mellon, for one, has long been a generous Trump donor, having previously funneled $20 million to a super PAC that was supporting Trump’s reelection bid. He has given to a range of candidates and groups across the conservative spectrum over the years.
This election cycle, in addition to backing Trump, Mellon has also funded Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s independent presidential candidacy. Last spring, Mellon donated $5 million to the pro-Kennedy American Values 2024, accounting for more than 50 percent of what the organization has raised total.
MAGA Inc. has emerged as the primary pro-Trump super PAC. The group was established prior to the 2022 midterm elections, and $60 million of its initial funding was transferred from Save America, Trump’s leadership PAC. Over the last year, the organization has spent heavily to tear down two of Trump’s 2024 rivals: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former UN Ambassador Nikki Haley. DeSantis withdrew from the Republican primary last week.
The super PAC also ended up refunding $12.5 million back to Save America to help pay for Trump’s legal fees.
The organization was founded by former Trump adviser Taylor Budowich, who serves as the CEO. The outfit is also guided by longtime Trump pollster and strategist Tony Fabrizio. Its fundraiser is Meredith O’Rouke.
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