'This billionaire needs help': Internet divided as Trump leadership PAC spends nearly $3M on legal battles

WASHINGTON DC: Former President Donald Trump's leadership political action committee spent around $3 million on his legal battles in January, the New York Post reports.

According to FEC filings, the Republican frontrunner's Save America PAC spent $2,953,655 in expenses, including legal consulting and fees, out of the total $3.9 million disbursements in the first month of the election year. 

The majority of the funds were paid to the former President's lawyers, Todd Blanche, Chris Kise, John Lauro, and Alina Habba.

The Save America PAC and Make America Great Again Inc disbursed more than $50 million in total in 2023 in Trump's legal defense in the four indictments and two civil trials against him.

Trump campaign's cash reserves at January's close

As of January 31, Save America had around $6.3 million cash on hand, whereas MAGA Inc had nearly 20 million. In addition, his principal campaign committee raised over $9 million and recorded more than $30 million cash on hand by the end of January.

Since kickstarting the election year, Trump was hit with two massive penalties. In late January, a Manhattan court ordered the White House hopeful to pay $83.3 million to longtime advice columnist E Jean Carroll for defaming her in 2019.

He suffered another legal setback in the New York Civil fraud trial. Judge Arthur Engoron on February 16 charged Trump with a massive $355 million penalty for illegally inflating the price of his properties in New York state for decades to secure favorable bank loans.

As the ex-president pledged to appeal both verdicts, it might pressure the PAC's funding.

In light of the PAC's unlikely capacity to fund his mounting legal fees, Trump will have to sell a few of his properties in the Empire State to pay a portion of the $355 million penalty. Furthermore, the criminal trial on his hush-money case will start in March, and investigations are still ongoing on the three other indictments for allegedly attempting to overturn the 2020 election, including the January 6 Capitol attack and illegally withholding classified documents.

When Trump received $8.8 million in campaign donations in January, his sole GOP opponent, Nikki Haley, made $11.5 million.

Internet says Trump's legal troubles will 'break him'

Internet was divided voicing their opinions about Trump's PAC's spending millions to cover his legal expenses. While one camp labeled it "money well spent," another group opined it would break the GOP.

One user said, "Now his about to spend even more."

While another person claimed, "Money well spent. Saving democracy and constitutional rights is priceless!"

"Trump's legal troubles are gonna break him and the GOP And I'm here for it," a third response read. Whereas a fourth user added, "Because he's running GOP is paying his legal expenses."

One Facebook user commented, "He is going to run the RNC into the ground -- which is seriously struggling financially -- the same way he bankrupted 6 companies." On the other hand a second individual opined, "The mooks have got to pony up more money, this billionaire needs help."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.