Donald Trump got a taste of real political power as president, and he likes it.
So he’s moving to hang on to at least some of that power after Jan. 20 by retaining his grip on the Republican Party, reports the New York Times.
Even as Trump contends that he, not Joe Biden, won the election, he has formed a “leadership” political action committee called “Save America,” which can raise money to benefit GOP candidates, as well as to pay travel expenses, pollsters and consultants.
“Such committees can accept donations of up to $5,000 per donor per year — far less than the donation limits for the committees formed by Mr. Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee,” the Times says, “but a leadership PAC could accept donations from an unlimited number of people” as well as from other PACs.
More importantly, leadership PACs can spend unlimited amounts, giving Trump enormous influence over the GOP ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential race, says The Hill.
Before the election Trump told advisers, “sometimes joking and other times not,” that he might run again in 2024 if he lost, the Times says.
“President Trump is not going anywhere anytime soon,” Matt Gorman, a Republican strategist, told the newspaper. “He’s going to insert himself in the national debate in a way that’s unlike any of his predecessors.”
Trump has not yet conceded to President-elect Biden — and he is mounting legal challenges to the election results in several battleground states.
Trump campaign spokesman Tim Murtaugh says the Save America PAC has been in the works for a while.
“The president always planned to do this, win or lose,” Murtaugh told the Times, “so he can support candidates and issues he cares about, such as combating voter fraud.”
Trump’s “personal brand as a businessman is now intertwined with his political brand,” the Times says. “And he has made clear he is not ceding the stage easily, even as advisers say he will most likely willingly leave the White House when his term ends.”
