Breaking the Bank

Bill Kristol: “At this point in the cycle, a certain amount of financial lag from Trump would be expected: The GOP primary hasn’t exactly been competitive to date, but he’s been obliged to spend millions campaigning to make sure it stays that way. Biden hasn’t had those same expenses, and he’s been able to fundraise like crazy off each of Trump’s primary victories: None of the pain, all of the gain.”

“But the biggest hole in Team Trump’s balance sheets isn’t the primary. It’s the eye-watering amount of money his PACs have pumped into covering his legal bills: nearly $50 million in 2023 alone.”

“It’s a remarkable split-screen: A billionaire politician using his small-dollar donors to foot his personal legal bills rather than dipping into his own pockets, falling farther and farther behind his likely opponent in campaign funds as he does so.”