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Trump has a $400 million war chest. How will he spend it?

From CBS News · () English

Translated from English and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Documents & data Ongoing story
  • Federal Election Commission filings show that MAGA Inc. had raised about $401 million by the end of the second quarter, while Trump said he had raised about $850 million overall.
  • A nonprofit linked to MAGA Inc. launched its first nationwide advertisement focused on Trump rather than local congressional candidates.
  • The super PAC has so far made limited midterm donations, while some Republican candidates plan to campaign in their districts instead of attending a party convention in Dallas.

Donald Trump has built a political war chest worth hundreds of millions of dollars, but Republican candidates are still waiting to see when that money will reach their races.

With two months remaining before the midterm elections, Federal Election Commission filings show that MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, had raised about $401 million by the end of the second quarter. A nonprofit tied to the group, Securing American Greatness, unveiled its first nationwide advertisement this week. The ad promotes Trump rather than congressional candidates.

I've raised a lot, and nobody knows what it is, but I will tell you it's about $850 million.

· Donald TrumpTrump described the scale of his fundraising before traveling to South Carolina.

Trump has said he intends to use the money to help Republicans he supports. “I've raised a lot, and nobody knows what it is, but I will tell you it's about $850 million,” he said before flying to South Carolina on August 21. “I'll be spending a lot of that money for candidates that I think are good, Republican candidates.”

I'll be spending a lot of that money for candidates that I think are good, Republican candidates.

· Donald TrumpHe said he planned to spend funds supporting Republican candidates.

He has also urged supporters to treat the midterms as if he himself were on the ballot. “Pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot,” Trump told a rally for Sen. Darline Graham in South Carolina. “Come and vote. It's so important.”

So far, MAGA Inc.’s most substantial donation to a midterm campaign has been an $827,000 payment to Graham’s campaign. Before Graham’s Senate bid, the group had spent only about $18,000 on a 2026 midterm race. It spent roughly $1.7 million in the previous year.

Pretend, please, that I'm on the ballot.

· Donald TrumpTrump urged supporters to treat the midterm elections as a vote of support for him.

The party is scheduled to gather in Dallas next week for a presidential-style midterm convention, complete with dozens of speeches and a balloon drop. Yet some Republicans in competitive congressional races will not attend. Florida Representative Maria Salazar said she needed to campaign in Miami, while Vice President JD Vance said candidates should meet voters and communicate their message in their districts.

I have to be campaigning. No one votes for me in Washington or in Dallas. I have to be in Miami.

· Maria SalazarThe Florida Republican explained why she would skip the party’s Dallas convention.
About this summary

Originally published by CBS News in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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