Trump shifts $1.3m in 2020 election campaign donations to his personal businesses
President said at launch of first campaign: 'I don’t need anybody’s money. I’m using my own money ... I’m really rich'
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Your support makes all the difference.Nearly $1.3m (£990,000) of donations to Donald Trump’s re-election campaign have subsequently been transferred to businesses owned by the US president.
The money has been spent on hotel rooms, rent, food, legal consulting and other services provided by Mr Trump’s firms, according to campaign filings analysed by Forbes.
Tens of thousands of people have made payments to his 2020 campaign, which he launched on the day of his inauguration three years ago.
The president has not contributed any of his own money, despite boasting on the day he launched his first campaign in 2015: “I don’t need anybody’s money. I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.”
The majority of the 2020 donations were paid out to Trump Tower Commercial LLC, the holding company through which he owns his skyscraper on New York’s Fifth Avenue, which received $800,000 (£612,000.) The company also received $225,000 (£172,000) in rent from the Republican National Committee, Forbes reported.
Trump Restaurants LLC, which runs eateries in the Trump Tower, has received $60,000 ($46,000) in campaign funds to leasing a small space for sale of campaign memorabilia.
Trump Plaza LLC, which runs two apartment buildings in New York City, received $54,000 (£41,000) from the president’s campaign, according to the filings. The reason for the payment was reportedly listed as rent, although it is unclear what the buildings have been leased for.
Mr Trump’s 2020 campaign has also spent thousands at his hotels in Washington DC and Las Vegas.
Federal regulations allow election candidates to shift campaign money into their own businesses, providing they pay going rates and the expenditure is not for personal use.
A Trump 2020 official told The Independent the campaign paid fair market rents and took legal advice to ensure compliance with the law.
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