Trump’s MAGA Inc. reports nearly $277 million in midterm spending
Federal filings show MAGA Inc. spent nearly $277 million since September and had more than $164 million in cash as of Oct. 14.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
2 min read
Trump MAGA Inc. midterm spending reached nearly $277 million from the beginning of September through mid-October, according to federal campaign-finance filings reported by the Associated Press. The spending by President Donald Trump’s flagship super PAC came as Republican candidates entered the final weeks before the Nov. 3 midterm elections.
The reported total includes $200 million transferred to No Going Back PAC Inc. and $25 million sent to Safety & Affordability PAC Inc., according to the AP report published by PBS NewsHour. Both affiliated groups have been spending on advertising.
How much has MAGA Inc. spent on the midterms?
MAGA Inc. reported nearly $277 million in spending since the start of September. That figure is based on the PAC’s filings and should not be treated as money personally spent by Trump.
Corry Bliss, a Republican Senate and House campaign strategist who was executive director of the Congressional Leadership Fund’s super PAC in the 2018 campaign, said the sum exceeded the midterm spending of any previous sitting president. The supplied reporting does not include a historical dataset that independently establishes that comparison.
MAGA Inc. also reported holding more than $164 million in cash as of Oct. 14. Cash on hand is a balance at a specific date, rather than an amount already committed to future expenditures or an addition to the reported spending total.
Why do the spending totals differ?
The filings-based MAGA Inc. total is distinct from another measure cited in the reporting: AdImpact, which tracks advertising spending and reservations, said three Trump-aligned groups that disclose donors had spent more than $256 million on advertising. That amount covers multiple groups and advertising activity, while the nearly $277 million figure is MAGA Inc.’s reported spending and includes its large transfers to affiliated PACs.
Trump gave a broader and higher figure in a Truth Social post on Oct. 20. He said more than $300 million had already been spent and that he expected more than $400 million to be spent by Election Day. Trump said his calculation included advertising, voter contact, rallies, tele-rallies, get-out-the-vote efforts and election-integrity programs.
Those claims are separate from the PAC’s filing disclosures. MAGA Inc. began September with nearly $416 million in cash and continued to raise money from backers including businessperson Diane Hendricks, Blackstone Group CEO Stephen A. Schwarzman and casino magnate Steve Wynn, according to the AP report.
The reporting said Trump-aligned groups began their advertising purchases late in the campaign, when less airtime was available. That raised their prices, at times to more than five times what comparable purchases would have cost earlier, according to the report.
This story draws on original reporting from Fortune.