"Raising Donations Is Tough"... Why Is Trump Struggling with Fundraising?

"Donors Hesitate, Fearing Funds Will Be Used for Legal Fees"
Trump Trails Biden in Donation Amounts and Number of Donors

Reports have emerged that former President Donald Trump, a leading Republican presidential candidate in the United States, is struggling to raise campaign donations. This is reportedly because Trump supporters hesitate to contribute, fearing that their donations will be used to cover his legal expenses.

President Joe Biden of the United States (left) and former President Donald Trump

On the 24th (local time), The Washington Post (WP) reported that among senior Republicans in Washington DC and some supporters, concerns are growing that former President Trump is spending too much political funding on legal fees, which is slowing down small-dollar donations.

Currently, former President Trump is trailing President Joe Biden in both the amount of donations and the number of donors. As of the end of last month, Biden’s campaign had secured $56 million (approximately 74.6 billion KRW) in cash, while Trump’s campaign held $30.5 million (4.06 billion KRW) in cash.

According to WP’s analysis, the number of donors also favors Biden’s campaign, with 172,000 donors as of November last year compared to 143,000 donors for Trump’s campaign, a difference of about 30,000.

During the 2020 presidential election, Trump’s campaign also faced financial difficulties that led to a significant suspension of TV advertising for a period. However, WP assessed that in this election, Trump is facing multiple criminal and civil trials, and the possibility that a substantial portion of campaign funds will be diverted to legal expenses is causing even greater challenges in fundraising.

Two well-known Republicans who requested anonymity said that some major donors have expressed concerns about donations being used for legal fees. One of these Republicans said, "They will donate to Trump, but if they think the donations are being wasted, they won’t give as much. They want to pay for winning the election, not for legal fees." However, a Trump adviser dismissed these concerns, saying he had not heard them directly.

Former President Trump relies on leadership PACs, 'Save America' and 'MAGA Inc.', for legal expenses. Leadership PACs can raise funds to support travel, fundraising, and other political expenses. Last year, these two leadership PACs spent over $55 million on Trump’s legal fees, accounting for 23% of their total expenditures. 'Save America' alone spent $2.9 million on Trump’s litigation costs just last month.

Facing a crisis of low donation amounts despite massive legal expenses, former President Trump has taken an active role in fundraising himself. WP reported that he has been spending 3 to 5 hours per week on calls with donors for over a year. Trump’s advisers revealed that he regularly writes personal letters to donors, signs thank-you notes, and has agreed to small dinners and Q&A sessions with some major donors. In fact, last week, Trump hosted an event at his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida, gathering 1,000 donors, and this week he held fundraising events in Nashville, Tennessee, and Greenville, South Carolina, raising $10 million.

WP also noted that Trump is showing determination to continue calling people who are not expected to donate and has even asked some colleagues to fundraise on his behalf, marking an unusual departure from his past approach.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.