Donald Trump Spent More Than It Raised in 2023, With Over $55 Million in Donor Money Spent on His Legal Fees

By Jace Dela Cruz

Feb 02, 2024 02:33 AM EST

Former President Donald Trump's political fundraising apparatus has spent more than it raised in 2023, partly due to the more than $55 million he spent on legal expenses.

Former President Trump Visits The Teamsters Headquarters In Washington, D.C. — (Photo : Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 31: Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. President Donald Trump talks reporters at the International Brotherhood of Teamsters headquarters on January 31, 2024 in Washington, DC

Finance Reports of Donald Trump Campaign Team

The latest figures for Donald Trump's legal spending were indicated in campaign disclosures submitted to the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday.

The reports reveal that legal fees drag on the finances behind the former president's election effort. Trump also reportedly pays lawyer fees for some of his advisers and associates.

According to Axios, the mounting legal costs have exhausted large sums from the former president's campaign funds as he faced numerous lawsuits and criminal charges in multiple jurisdictions.

Citing the new reports, The Washington Post reported that Trump's Save America PAC and the Make America Great Again (MAGA) PAC spent $55.6 million on legal bills last year, including $29.9 million in the past six months of the year.

Covering all of his committees, the former president had more than $70 million at the end of 2023.

Legal Challenges of Donald Trump

Donald Trump is on track to secure the Republican nomination to face President Joe Biden in the November presidential election.

However, Reuters reported that he still has four pending criminal cases this year, including two for his alleged efforts to reverse his loss in the 2020 presidential election and one for handling classified documents upon leaving office.

The Federal Election Commission data shows the Save America PAC listed over $25 million expenses they made in the last six months of 2023 to pay various lawyers and firms, which include Alina Habba, who has represented him in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case and New York civil fraud trial.

Lawyers Todd Blanche and John Lauro, who represented the former president in criminal cases, are also listed. On the other hand, the MAGA PAC also paid around $4 million on legal services over the same six-month period.

In the first half of 2023, the Save America PAC reported spending roughly $22 million on legal expenses.