Donald Trump Allegedly Shifted Donated Campaign Money Into His Private Business After Election Loss

Donald Trump reportedly moved an estimated $2.8 million of donated money from his re-election campaign into the Trump Organization, which included at least $81,000, he received since he lost the election.

According to Forbes, another one of the campaign’s joint-fundraising committees that also collects money in conjunction with the Republican Party, shifted almost $4.3 million of donated money into Trump’s businesses for the last three years, from January 20, 2017 to December 31, 2020, with $331,000 of that money received after the election in November.

All the payments are listed in detail filings the campaign submitted to the Federal Election Commission. The donated money was used to pay the cost of rent for Trump hotels and restaurants and lodging and airfare for a company named “DT Endeavor LLC,” among other expenses. Representatives for the Trump Organization, the Trump campaign, and the Republican National Committee did not immediately respond to requests from Forbes for comment.

The reported filings reflect concerns among lawmakers, critics, and watchdog groups over Trump’s self-promoting and profiteering while in office, using publicly donated funds from his re-election campaign, that he himself never contributed to, to inflate his private businesses.