Donald Trump Again Funneling Money From Political Committees He Runs Into His Own Pocket
This year, Republican candidates and political groups have spent about $1.1 million at Donald Trump’s hotels, golf clubs, and other properties. About 80% of that money comes from political committees that Trump himself controls. In other words, most of the political money being spent at his businesses is money he directs.
A photo shows President Trump using his cellphone aboard Marine One as he leaves an event in Virginia and heads back to the White House after attending a dinner hosted by his own political group.
Since returning to the presidency ten months ago, Trump has continued to use his political position in ways that help him personally earn large amounts of money. He not only profits from private business deals but also directs Republican donor money into his own hotels and clubs through his political organizations.
According to public records, the Republican National Committee (RNC) has already spent nearly $800,000 at Trump properties this year. His super PAC, MAGA Inc., has added another $60,000 or so.
Not all committees report monthly, so the final total for 2025 won’t be known until early 2026. But based on what is known, almost four-fifths of all the money Republicans spent at Trump businesses this year came from groups linked to him.
Examples of these expenses include the RNC paying more than $193,000 for an event at Mar-a-Lago in March, over $307,000 for an event at Trump’s Doral resort in May, and MAGA Inc. spending about $20,000 at Trump’s golf course in Virginia later that month.
In total, 73 different Republican candidates or committees spent money at Trump businesses. Some spent only small amounts—under $50—while others spent hundreds of thousands of dollars.
This is not new. During his first term, Trump frequently pushed both committees he controlled and GOP candidates he didn’t control to hold events at his properties. His Washington, D.C., hotel alone made $2.6 million from Republican political spending before he sold it.
Critics say that this behavior shows Trump using the presidency for personal gain. One ethics expert noted that while Trump earns huge sums from cryptocurrency ventures, it’s easy to overlook the hundreds of thousands he quietly pockets through political spending—but those amounts still matter.
Many Americans would see $800,000 as a very big deal, not something small. The expert warned that if Trump is willing to use the presidency to enrich himself in one way, there may be no limit to how far he’ll go.
Trump has repeatedly used his government position to promote his own businesses, something that fits the textbook definition of public corruption.
This year alone, he hosted a White House–backed dinner for top buyers of his cryptocurrency tokens, used taxpayer money to speak at the opening of his golf course in Scotland, and even tried to get Qatar to lend him a $400 million Boeing 747 to use temporarily as Air Force One. Around the same time, Qatar received major military and security benefits from the United States.
His biggest source of personal income, however, is his family’s cryptocurrency company, which has brought in almost $1 billion in the first half of 2025, much of it from foreign buyers.
By comparison, the money coming from his political groups is smaller, but still important. Even though he cannot run for president again after his current term, he continues to raise money from his supporters. His “Never Surrender” PAC has brought in over $28 million and can be used mostly for whatever he wants, even personal expenses. His MAGA Inc. super PAC has raised nearly $177 million and can spend unlimited amounts to support or attack candidates.
Most of the super PAC money comes from wealthy donors—people who often want something in return, such as favorable policies. But the “Never Surrender” PAC gets most of its money from ordinary people who give small donations, often $5 to $50, because they believe Trump’s fundraising messages.
These messages are constant sometimes several per day and often misleading. Recently he has claimed he tried calling donors, promised things he cannot legally deliver, asked them if they “love” him, or said he had received shocking new evidence from the FBI director, all as a way to pressure supporters to donate immediately.
A Republican strategist who knows how Trump’s fundraising works said Trump keeps using the same tactics because they continue to bring in money. The system relies on formulas and algorithms that have proven effective with his base.
His leadership PAC is limited in how much it can donate to candidates. But his super PAC has no limits on how much it can spend to support one candidate or attack another. The $177 million raised so far this year is actually more than the RNC collected during the same period.
Whether Trump can successfully help his chosen candidates win elections is less certain. In 2022, many of the candidates he endorsed performed poorly in the general election. Even in Republican primaries, he didn’t always get what he wanted. His super PAC spent more money trying to defeat Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp than on any other race, but Kemp easily won anyway and later won re-election.
