Donald Trump's legal fees cost his political fundraising committees more than $50 million in 2023, leaving his PAC with just $5.1 million in the bank entering 2024.

The former president could face even higher legal costs this year.

Amid mounting court battles, former President Donald Trump’s legal fees cost his political fundraising committees more than $50 million in 2023, leaving his leadership PAC that once boasted a $100 million war chest with just $5.1 million in the bank entering 2024.

And those 2023 legal bills came before Trump last week was ordered to pay writer E. Jean Carroll $83.3 million in damages for defaming her in 2019. Trump is appealing both the jury verdict of defamation and the subsequent penalties imposed by a second jury.

In a separate case, a New York Judge is also weighing whether to fine Trump as much as $370 million plus interest in the former president’s civil fraud trial.

As Trump’s legal battles ramped up in the second half of last year, so did his legal spending – with his political action committees reporting a total of $34 million in legal expenditures in the second half of last year compared to roughly $26 million in the first half, according to the former president’s latest campaign disclosures.

    • cybersandwich@lemmy.world
      18·
      10 months ago

      I’ve never donated to a political candidate or party before. If he’s their nomination, I already talked to my wife, we are planning on making it rain on the Dems.

      So if anyone out there is scraping webposts for this kind of shit: I will be donating to Dems in key states and races for the first time ever.

      As you lose money paying for this clown’s crimes, your opponent will be getting money from at least two people that have never donated before.

      • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
        78·
        10 months ago

        Just remember: The Dems are not heros and are half the reason we got Trump. They WANTED to run against him, and they still want to run against him. They are largely dangerous idiots.

        Note: They’re still our only hope in 2024, but do not EVER expect them to actually fight for what’s right. They fight for what they think is good for their party, not good for the country.

        • cybersandwich@lemmy.world
          51·
          10 months ago

          Rightly or wrongly, this election and last election feel a lot like a zero-sum game if you care about democracy, integrity, ethics, honor, rule of law, leadership, effective government, human rights, the constitution, equal rights, etc.

          The republican party has SUPPORTED and continues to support a former President who is claiming the election was stolen, made every attempt to overthrow the results of the election, caused an insurrection–for all intents and purposes attempted a coup to stay in power. Hes indicted for over 96 crimes, embroiled in lawsuits for his criminal activities, his unethical, immoral, and disgraceful behavior in business dealings. This guy is a grade A piece of shit. He doesn’t care about the constitution. He doesn’t care about the United States. He doesn’t care about Americans. He doesn’t care about right or wrong.

          There is no “shades of gray” between the parties right now.

          • MotoAsh@lemmy.world
            31·
            10 months ago

            Yes, notice how I said Democrats are still the only hope in 2024. I love how everyone IMMEDIATELY whines about Trump when I remind them Democrats are not your friend, either.

            No, there are no shades of grey. We’re in the middle of a forest fire started by Republicans, and morons CONSTANTLY pretend that the half-fouled moped of the DNC is a guaranteed trip out of the woods. They are not. They are a half-fouled moped. Period.

            Yes, we need to try to use the half-fouled moped to get away from the psychopathic pyromaniacs, but what we CANNOT do is pretend that the half-fouled moped is a luxury offroad vehicle.

            The DNC is not that. We will be lucky to even make it to the edge of the woods. Celebrate the half-fouled moped before it has even gotten you that far at your own peril, but the least you can do is understand when someone is telling you you’re still offroading with a half-fouled moped…

    • ares35@kbin.social
      13·
      10 months ago

      technically, it was the morons giving the money to the pac and campaign.

      when he actually pays bills out of his own wallet… that would be news.

    • clutchmatic@lemmy.world
      8·
      10 months ago

      Yes. For best legal results, he needs to max out his spending. Underspending is self-sabotage, in his case, as a famous former president.

      • njm1314@lemmy.world
        2·
        10 months ago

        It’s so weird because usually you spend that much money and have that much of a spending imbalance, it means you’re going to have a massive advantage legally speaking as well. The person with the most money has a massive advantage in all legal matters and frankly can usually just outlast the opposition. But Trump is such a whack job that he negates that advantage. It’s amazing he’s such a liability but no amount of money makes him safe. It’s fascinating

  • Kbobabob@lemmy.world
    1·
    10 months ago

    I just saw another post that said more than 27 million, which i guess is still accurate, lol