Records reveal the staggering amount of money Trump-owned businesses have raked in by doing business with Trump's campaign and Republicans
29 October 2019
The words “conflict of interest” often come up in connection with President Donald Trump, who hasn’t been shy about encouraging the use of Trump properties for political events. And an analysis by the Center for Responsive Politics shows just how profitable that encouragement has been for the president.
HuffPost’s Mary Papenfuss reports that according to the Center’s analysis of federal election spending records, Trump’s political campaigns and associated committees have spent roughly $16.8 million at his businesses since he launched his 2016 presidential campaign. The analysis was based on spending reports to the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
In the 2020 election cycle alone, the Center for Responsive Politics notes, Republican campaigns and political action committees have spent $1.8 million at Trump properties. That $1.8 million, includes — among other things — $1.3 million spent by Trump’s campaign, $123,000 spent by the Republican National Committee (RNC) and $104,000 spent by the political action committee (PAC) Great America.
The Center for Responsive Politics also points out that 48 Republicans in Congress have spent money at Trump businesses through their campaigns and associated committees. That includes $12,000 spent by Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan, $8000 spent by House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and $14,000 spent by Indiana Rep. Greg Pence — who is the brother of Vice President Mike Pence.
The Trump Organization owns property all over the world, and in the U.S. — according to the Center for Responsive Politics — the U.S.-based Trump businesses that have profited the most from GOP spending include, among others, Mar-a-Lago (Trump’s South Florida resort), Trump’s Doral golf resort in South Florida and the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. Recently, Trump received widespread criticism for wanting to hold the 2020 G7 Summit at his Doral property. Judge Andrew Napolitano, legal analyst for Fox News asserted that having the G7 at the Doral resort would be a violation of the U.S. Constitution’s Emoluments Clause.
The Center’s $16.8 million figure is larger than the figure reported earlier this year by ProPublica, which in April, reported that the political money spent at Trump businesses had reached $16.1 million.