Trump raises more than $207 million since Election Day as he pushes baseless election fraud claims

Despite his loss to President-elect Joe Biden — and dozens of failed attempts to challenge the election results in the courts — Trump has refused to concede his defeat, instead opting to spread falsehoods about election fraud and bombard his supporters with appeals for additional cash.

In all, the Trump political operation had sent 414 emails — and another 132 text messages — seeking funds between 11 p.m. ET on Election Night, November 3, and Thursday afternoon.

Many purport to seek donations to his “Official Election Defense Fund.” In reality, however, the first 75% of every contribution currently flows to Save America, the new leadership PAC that Trump established less than a week after the election. A donor has to contribute $5,000 to Save America before any funds are directed to the Trump campaign recount account.

In recent days, Trump has escalated his attacks on the election, releasing a 46-minute video on social media this week — filmed at the White House and replete with baseless allegations about the election.

Trump’s post-election haul far outpaces his fundraising performance before the election. In the month of September, for instance, the Trump campaign took in $81.3 million in total receipts.

While politicians can’t use the money in leadership PACs directly on their campaigns, federal law provides broad leeway on their spending — leading to criticism that these committees amount to little more than slush funds to underwrite travel, staff and personal expenses.

Thursday’s filings only cover a brief period of activity for Save America, which launched less than a week after the election and became part of a joint fundraising operation with other Trump entities later in November. It took in nearly $570,000, much of it from donors who contributed in small amounts.

In a statement, RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel indicated that the party’s money would help fund “election integrity” efforts and the GOP’s next big challenge: Getting out the vote in Georgia, where two Senate runoffs in January will determine whether their party retains control of the US Senate.

“We are investing millions to push back against the Democrats’ unprecedented power grab and drive a massive Get Out The Vote operation in the Peach State,” she said.

Most political committees must file reports Thursday with federal regulators detailing with fundraising and spending between October 15 and November 23. In the news release, Trump officials said all of the affiliated committees, with the exception of Save America, raised a grand total of $495 million during that nearly six-week period.

At that pace, Trump’s political operation raised money at a rate of more than $12 million a day.

“The speed with which Trump has re-armed post the general election” demonstrates that “there is no off-season anymore,” Dan Eberhart, an energy executive and Republican donor, told CNN. “Once again, he is blowing up conventional political norms.”

Money pours into Georgia Senate race

While Trump continues to fundraise, Thursday’s filings also underscore the intense focus among the party’s top donors on the contests in Georgia.

Wealthy Republicans have unleashed a flood of cash to help their party prevail in the twin runoffs in the state. Blackstone Chairman Stephen Schwarzman donated $15 million last month to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC affiliated with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Kentucky, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission.

Schwarzman, one of Trump’s loyal allies, made headlines recently when he acknowledged Trump’s White House loss and encouraged the country to “move on.”

Other top donors to the Senate-focused PAC include Kenneth Griffin, the CEO of Chicago hedge fund Citadel, who donated a total of $12 million in October and November. Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam, contributed a total of $10 million in mid-October.

In all, the Senate Leadership Fund took in $104 million between October 15 and November 23. The group said $71 million of that landed in its account after Election Day.

Even before the recent disclosures, the Adelsons already were the top donors of the 2020 election, contributing $180 million in the election cycle, according to tally by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Those donations supported groups backing Trump’s reelection, along with those working to help Republicans retain their Senate majority and expand their numbers in the US House of Representatives.

The runoffs in Georgia — which pit Democrats Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff against Republicans Loeffler and Perdue — already have seen astronomical spending. The candidates and outside groups have bought more than $320 million in TV and radio advertising, according to a CNN tally of data tracked by Kantar’s Campaign Media Analysis Group.

The groups linked to McConnell have dominated outside spending. The Senate Leadership Fund and an affiliated group, American Crossroads, have spent more than $87 million combined on television and radio advertising to sway the outcome.

Thursday’s filings show that Loeffler’s husband, New York Stock Exchange Chairman Jeffrey Sprecher, emerged as a top donor to a super PAC supporting her candidacy, Georgia United Victory. He donated $5 million of the nearly $6.6 million the group raised between October 15 and November 23.

This story has been updated with additional details from Thursday’s FEC filings.