TRUMP'S "RECORD FUNDRAISER" (UPDATED AND REVISED)

Jason Easley at PoliticusUSA has researched and written extensively on campaign finance. His column today explodes Trump’s claim of having “doubled” Biden’s record from the Radio City Music Hall event last week.

From PoliticusUSA (bolding mine):

In a truly fair democracy where representing the people came first, and governing took priority over all else, there would be no need for stories and newsletters about political fundraising.

Money is the wedge that the founders never saw coming when they devised with help from the work of Enlightenment thinkers a system of governance that functioned as a representative democracy.

I have spent decades first academically researching and then writing as a journalist about campaign finance, and campaign finance reform. Someday, some of this space may be used to focus on campaign finance in the United States, which is such a huge topic that diving into it would take us down a rabbit hole, and distract from the matter at hand, which is Donald Trump, and the Republican Party’s claim to have raised $50.5 million yesterday from a single fundraiser.

A bit of insight into what is really going on came from Trump’s comments on Saturday night and his post on Truth Social, “Biggest night in Fund Raising of ALL TIME!!!Will double up the Biden number of last week at Radio City. People are desperate for change. They want to MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN! DJT”

People are so desperate for change that Donald Trump’s party has lost or underperformed in every election since President Biden took office.

Trump suggested that people want change, so it is important to ask who these people are who want change?

The answer is, given who attended Trump’s fundraiser, is conservative millionaires and billionaires.

Trump’s fundraiser was intended to counter negative headlines about how the ex-president is not campaigning, and is increasingly trailing in polls, as President Biden gains momentum.

The reality is that Donald Trump didn’t raise $50.5 million.

The actual dollar amount is likely much less than Republicans are touting.

There are various gimmicks and tricks that the Trump campaign certainly used to get to that big number, which just so happened to double Biden’s big fundraiser, and we’ll talk about them below.

Political insiders and people with fundraising experience almost immediately starting calling BS on Trump’s fundraising haul.

Former Rep. Adam Kinzinger posted above a tweet from Frank Luntz touting Trump’s fundraising haul:

Insiders know this trick. Money is double counted… they include months back, and combining tons of accts including super pac etc. Frank knows this too.

They will have struggling numbers after this, because they front and back loaded everything (and knowing trump, just plain lied). Don’t fret.

Former Rep. Kinzinger is correct. There are all sorts of gimmicks and loopholes that can be used to pump up the numbers.

The Trump fundraiser a had a recommended donation of the legal maximum for joint fundraising committees of $814,600. The event was attended by 100 guests. In comparison, Biden’s New York fundraiser had 5,000 guests. If every guest gave the maximum recommended donation that would be over $81 million. Every guest didn’t give the max, but some definitely did, so those guests are maxed out for the year and can’t make any more donations.

The donations mostly didn’t go to the Trump campaign, even though Trump is claiming them as campaign donations. The donations went to the joint fundraising operation, and were split between Trump’s campaign, Trump’s super PAC, the RNC, and 40 state parties.

The amount of money that Trump’s campaign will likely see from this night will be very small.

Since Trump’s unique fundraising agreement with RNC gives his super PAC the biggest cut of donations to cover his legal bills, the RNC walked away with very little money, and the state parties even less than the RNC.

The Biden fundraising agreement is standard which means that his $26 million fundraiser really did benefit his campaign. Also, the President requested a smaller donation that did not max out his donors.

The best way to understand this con is that Donald Trump took potentially previously pledged donations, donations that as Rep. Kinzinger suggested will be double counted, and general election money that can’t be used until after Trump officially becomes the nominee, and donations that are actually split four ways and declared it all as a record night for his campaign.

When the campaign disclosure reports are filed, the truth will be revealed, but in the meantime, Trump gives the corporate media a headline for their horse race coverage. The vast majority of media won’t stop to question the total or the claim itself. Given that Trump is a pathological liar, the press has no reason to believe him.

However, the Biden campaign benefits from this because they get to say to their supporters that the situation is urgent and you need to get involved.

The reality is that Trump’s big fundraiser is a con to create the illusion of campaign strength to hide his struggles.

UPDATE/REVISION:

The Biden-Harris campaign identified the Bond/Superman/Batman list of Super-Villains who Trump rattled his begging bowl to last night:

John Paulson, who wants to be Treasury Secretary in Trump II, wants to cut Social Security and argued against new financial regulation after the 2008 crash, which he profited off of.

Robert Bigelow complained that he couldn’t evict tenants during the pandemic and supports Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law.

John Catsimadas compared taxes on the wealthy to Hitler killing Jews. His businesses have paid millions in lawsuits for unfair labor practices and consumer safety violations.

Sugar Baron Jose Fanjul wouldn’t fire his assistant, who was married to TWO KKK leaders, saying “We don’t fire people for that.” He was also accused in Wikileaks cables of trying to sabotage the U.S. trade deal with Mexico.

Jamie McCourt made $10 million in insider stock trades before the public was made aware of the seriousness of the COVID-19 pandemic while Trump played it down.

Failed Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler supported repeal of Obamacare and made millions dumping stock after a private briefing on the pandemic before any public announcement was made.

Robert Mercer opposes the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and government programs that help “weak people get strong.”

Jeff Yass has avoided $1 billion in taxes and wants to privatize Social Security.

Woody Johnson repeatedly disparages women for theuir looks and questioned why the Black community celebrates Black History Month.

Mike Hodges bragged about how supporting Trump helped him fend off regulations on his companies, which have been cited for unfair labor practices.

Steve Wynn has been accused of multiple sexual misconduct which led to his removal from the MGM Grand management.

Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts made millions by shedding pension obligations and health care promises to his retirees and opposes government programs that “serve to protect the public’s well-being.”

Oil baron Harold Hamm has attacked scientific evidence of global warming and expects “energy deregulation” on Day One of Trump II.

Las Vegas hotel owner Phil Ruffin fought efforst by housekeepers at his hotel (owned jointly with Trump) and “furloughed” 4,000 workers without pay.

Wilbur Ross made millions by using bankruptcy to get rid of retirement and health programs for his employees.

Public shaming of these scum, who like the rats and other vermin they are hide in the shadows and do their deeds in the dark, is one of the best things the Biden-Harris campaign can do.

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