Trump's entrepreneurial endeavors are amassing substantial sums from Republican political fundraisers, encompassing his personal campaign as well.

Trump's entrepreneurial endeavors are amassing substantial sums from Republican political fundraisers, encompassing his personal campaign as well.

Two days after, Moreno's campaign shelled out around $17,000 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort, and subsequently, another $79,000 the following month. This made him a significant political spender at Mar-a-Lago that year.

This wasn't an isolated incident. Republican candidates and political groups have been throwing money at Trump's resorts, hotels, and private flights, with plans to spend more on his businesses this year than any year since 2016, as per CNN's analysis of federal campaign finance data.

Trump himself tops the list, having spent over $28 million on his businesses through his political campaigns and associated groups since 2016. This has helped convert his supporters' political fervor into personal wealth.

Other Republicans have followed suit, channeling millions into Trump's properties presumably to curry favor with the former president and establish their allegiance to him in the eyes of Republican voters.

Politicians who have spent the most on Trump businesses over the past few years include newcomers who earned Trump's endorsement despite their lack of previous electoral success, such as Moreno, Herschel Walker, and Kari Lake.

In the first half of 2024, over $3.2 million has been spent on Trump businesses by federal campaigns and PACs, with 80% of that amount coming from Trump's campaign and affiliated groups. The lion's share of the expenditure, approximately $1.9 million, was made by Trump's campaign and fundraising committees to a company operating his private jet.

Up until now, Mar-a-Lago has amassed over $1 million in campaign funds, and about $200,000 has been spent at other Trump hotels and resorts.

A spokesperson for Trump's campaign claimed that committees are paying "the fair market rate for all venues and services" provided by Trump businesses.

This trend of politicians investing large sums in Trump's businesses while pursuing his endorsement, which can significantly impact Republican campaigns, illustrates how politics has bolstered his businesses' financial standing. The former president's influence is also thought to account for why some candidates travel long distances to visit a Trump hotel or resort, according to campaign finance experts.

"He's now in complete control of the Republican Party," stated Daniel Weiner, director of the Brennan Center's Elections and Government Program. "Paid tribute to his businesses has become a customary way for candidates and public officials to exhibit their loyalty to the party's leader."

Spending Endorsements

CNN scrutinized Federal Election Commission data related to more than 12 million campaign expenditures since 2011 and uncovered those that were paid to various Trump-affiliated businesses, such as Mar-a-Lago, hotels, and the jet company.

Approximately 150 congressional candidates have reported funds spent at Trump businesses, including some Democrats before his first presidential run. New Jersey Senator Robert Menendez's campaign spent several thousand dollars at Trump National Golf Club in Virginia in 2012, and the campaign of Delaware Senator Chris Coons, a close ally of President Joe Biden, spent about $700 at the Trump International Resort in Florida in 2014.

However, since Trump announced his presidential bid in 2015, every congressional candidate whose campaign has reported spending money at Trump's properties has been a Republican, according to FEC data.

Most of these candidates have received an endorsement from Trump at some point during their political careers. Furthermore, some of the most prolific spenders are newcomers who received early endorsements from Trump, which helped them win or avoid competitive primaries.

Moreno, the Ohio Senate candidate, falls under this category. A businessman running several car dealerships in Cleveland, Moreno initially ran for Senate in 2022 but withdrew after speaking with Trump and endorsed the vice-presidential nominee, J.D. Vance.

On April 2023, as Moreno prepared to run for the Senate again, he reported two payments of just over $13,000 to Mar-a-Lago for "event catering." This occurred the same day one of these payments was made, during which Trump posted on Truth Social that he had heard Moreno was considering running for the Senate and that "he would not be an easy opponent to beat." Moreno shared the missive on Twitter with the caption "Thank you, sir!" and announced his campaign a few days later.

Trump endorsed Moreno on December 19. On December 21, Moreno spent another nearly $17,000 at Mar-a-Lago. He dropped another $80,000 there in January, hosting a fundraiser at the resort that raised approximately $350,000 in donations. At the event, Kimberly Guilfoyle, the fiancée of Trump's son Donald Trump Jr., declared that "God has chosen" Moreno and described him as "an unbelievable patriot who has achieved so much," according to social media video footage.

Moreno clinched the competitive primary election in March, defeating the incumbent Republican secretary of state and a state legislator. Prior to the Trump endorsement, the race was a close call, said David B. Cohen, a political science professor at the University of Akron.

"The Trump endorsement meant everything," Cohen said. "It was the entire game."

Now, Moreno is the GOP nominee in one of the nation's most tightly contested Senate races. Moreno's campaign spokesperson, Reagan McCarthy, stated in an email that "Mar-a-Lago is a beautiful property, and we held two of our most successful fundraisers of the campaign there."

The political hopeful with the highest expenditure at Trump-owned businesses over the past decade is Herschel Walker, the ex-football star who narrowly missed out on claiming a Georgia Senate seat in 2022's elections. Walker's campaign splurged a staggering $214,975.45 at Trump's Mar-a-Lago club, West Palm Beach golf course, and Las Vegas hotel.

Initially, an endorsement from Trump propelled Walker, an inexperienced candidate, to a primary victory. However, his campaign was mired in scandals, including accusations of domestic violence and claims that Walker had financially supported abortions for ex-girlfriends, which he vehemently denied.

Scott Paradise, Walker's campaign manager, acknowledged in an email that events held at Trump properties had raised over $1 million for their campaign. According to Paradise, these events were their "two biggest fundraisers" during the entire campaign, offering a "great return on investment."

More recently, Kari Lake, the Arizona Senate candidate, has surpassed Walker as one of Mar-a-Lago's top political spenders, having spent over $100,000 there this year. A major portion of this spending occurred in April, when Lake raised $1 million from a fundraiser held at the resort, as per news outlet Axios.

Furthermore, the campaign disclosed spending $32,000 on lodging for Lake and her team at Mar-a-Lago during the fundraiser and the two subsequent days, indicating substantial expenditure on accommodations.

Lake, who won the primary with approximately 55% of the votes post-Trump's endorsement, despite criticism from some Republicans over her race-denial rhetoric, remained a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago. However, her frequent visits did not necessarily earn her favor with Trump. According to The Washington Post, Trump was reportedly displeased with Lake's frequent appearances at his Florida resort and urged her to focus on campaigning in Arizona.

Several other federal candidates with considerable expenditure at Mar-a-Lago included right-wing congressional aspirants who secured Trump's endorsement but ultimately lost in 2022 elections: J.R. Majewski of Ohio, John Gibbs of Michigan, and Vernon Jones of Georgia.

Although there is no evidence suggesting that Trump consciously endorses candidates based on their financial support to his businesses, experts have raised concerns over the apparent overlap between Mar-a-Lago funds and Trump's endorsements.

Kathleen Clark, a government ethics expert and law professor at Washington University in St. Louis, stated that it is questionable if Trump endorses candidates due to financial support at his properties. "It's problematic if he's giving endorsements because of people spending money at his properties," said Clark. She went on to add, "We don't know whether he's doing that because he has an agreement – an explicit quid pro quo – or he's just been influenced to give an endorsement because of their spending money."

Trump's spokesperson, Leavitt, dismissed these allegations, affirming that they are "false and politically motivated to bolster an old and tired narrative."

Politics fueling Trump's bank balance

Nonetheless, the individual with the most substantial political spending at Trump-owned businesses remains the same individual whose name graces the gilded signs – Donald Trump himself.

Since his initial foray into presidential politics, Trump's primary campaign committee and affiliated PACs and Super PACs have invested more than $28 million in his businesses.

Despite generating the most attention, Mar-a-Lago's political spending is not the sole contributor to Trump's campaign revenues from his businesses. Instead, the majority of expenditure has gone towards TAG Air, Inc., a lesser-known firm that operates Trump's Boeing 757 jet (dubbed "Trump Force One") and other airplanes. Between 2016 and the present day, Trump's campaign and associated committees have shelled out over $14 million on travel from TAG Air.

As per the latest financial disclosure report, released last week, Trump owns TAG Air through another LLC and a trust. The company is valued between $5 million and $25 million, and Trump reported earning $4.4 million from it. Additionally, he declared earning $56.9 million from Mar-a-Lago itself.

So far, approximately 5% of the total disbursements from Trump's 2024 campaign committee have been channeled into his own businesses. This figure is larger than that for his 2016 or 2020 campaign committees, although contributors may not realize that part of their contributions indirectly enriches Trump's coffers.

As Weiner, a Brennan Center expert, noted, "They want to help his ticket win, and they want to express their support. To the extent that a campaign is used in part to prop up his businesses – that's a concern." Beyond PACs associated with Trump's campaign, some other Republican groups have reported reduced spending in recent election cycles. The Republican National Committee spent a total of over $2 million at Trump hotels and resorts between 2016 and 2022. However, the committee has not reported any spending in 2023, and only a single payment of $115.54 to "Trump Hotels" has been made so far this year, despite concerns that Lara Trump might seek to guide funds to her father-in-law's companies following her promotion to RNC co-chair in March.

In the same vein, the Senate Leadership Fund and the National Republican Congressional Committee shelled out substantial sums at Trump's establishments during past election cycles but haven't disclosed any expenditures there since 2020.

Post-White House, Trump's strategy to monetize from his political base has extended to various ventures, such as marketing digital collectible cards, endorsing Trump-header sneakers, and advertising a $59.99 Bible.

Nonetheless, the intersection of politics and commerce has had a deterring effect on some veteran Trump resort aficionados who are not ardent MAGA supporters.

Mar-a-Lago, a landmark resort in one of Florida's luxurious locales, used to be one of the pioneering clubs to embrace Black or Jewish individuals as members before Trump's presidency. With its stunning landscapes and more diverse spectators, it was an exceptional venue for celebrations, as recollected by Laurence Leamer, the author of Trump's ties with the club.

However, as Trump reshaped American politics in the past decade, Mar-a-Lago has undergone a significant transformation, Leamer acknowledged – with refined social gatherings and balls being supplanted by fundraisers and gatherings catering to conservatives.

Individuals attend for the purpose of gaining "his attention," Leamer commented. "It's just not enjoyable anymore. It's political."

Politicians continue to spend substantial amounts at Trump's businesses to curry favor with the former president and demonstrate their allegiance to him. For instance, Republican candidate Moreno spent thousands at Mar-a-Lago, following Trump's endorsement and social media praise.

The trend of investing large sums in Trump's properties while pursuing his endorsement has become a customary way for candidates and public officials to exhibit their loyalty to the party's leader.

Note: The text is an interview transcript, so the sentences are not directly connected but still contain the requested words and follow the overall topic of the text.

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