The donation from Trump’s Save America leadership PAC marks the first time that funds have come from a political action committee since the institution began raising private funds for presidential portraits — a practice that started with the portraits associated with former President George H. W. Bush, St. Thomas said.
Trump’s PAC disclosed the $650,000 “charitable contribution” made on July 14 in its monthly filing Saturday with the Federal Election Commission. A Trump spokesman did not respond to an inquiry about the donation earlier Monday.
St. Thomas said another private donation of $100,000 also is helping to pay costs associated with the portraits. The funds, totaling $750,000, will go to artists’ fees, shipping, framing, installation and events.
Two artists have been commissioned to complete the portraits, and the work is underway, she said. The artists’ names will be disclosed closer to the unveiling of the paintings. That date has not yet been decided, she added.
Trump has been a relentless fundraiser since leaving office — bombarding his supporters with emails and text messages. He started August with more than $99 million in cash reserves in Save America, his main fundraising vehicle, the new filings show.
Team Trump has seized on this month’s FBI search at his waterfront Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida to send text messages to donors, claiming he’s being “politically persecuted” and urging them to “stand” with him against a “corrupt” and “Radical Left.”
It appears to have paid off.
