Trump ditched his official candidate committee in favor of a nonconnected committee—a fundraising vehicle not tied to a candidate, party, or corporate interest—called MAGA PAC. It’s a move that will enable him to accept more money from individual contributors over a longer period of time. He can also carry on his tradition of self-enrichment, tapping the new PAC as a personal slush fund, including for hanging legal debts incurred as an officeholder and candidate.
Additionally, unlike a super PAC setup, this allows Trump to directly fund candidates of his choosing—a key part of his post-presidency ploy to retain the loyalty of politicians who might be tempted to move on from the MAGA era.
The moves also signal an opportunity to wall off dissenters from influential megadonors, specifically with the introduction of the new joint fundraising committee, Save America (also the name of his leadership PAC), which can accept high-dollar checks. Two people familiar with the new political and fundraising operation say that Trump himself views it as yet another way to maintain his hold on the GOP, and to keep candidates and potential endorsees or primary challengers subordinated to the MAGA ethos.
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