How Donald Trump fundraised in the days after the election and other election deposit takeaways

The table below compares individual contributions of more than $ 200 to committees aligned with Trump with those aligned with President-elect Joe Biden. Trump’s donors have continued to give and give, particularly immediately after election day on November 3.

On its own, Trump’s campaign account brought in $ 183 million in revenue between Oct. 15 and Nov. 23, a period covered by the latest deposits with the Federal Election Commission.

That’s more than double the $ 86 million Trump cashed in and the $ 88 million President Barack Obama reported in the post-election reports they filed after their winning campaigns in 2016 and 2012, according to the statistics from the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute.

“If you looked at these numbers after the fact – not knowing who won or lost – you would think Trump won,” said Brendan Glavin, senior data analyst at the Institute.

Despite a losing streak in court, Trump refused to admit he lost to Biden.

Documents filed Thursday also show that approximately $ 873,000 from five Trump-affiliated committees has gone to Trump’s properties and businesses since October 15, including for accommodation at the President’s hotels and rental of space at the Trump Tower.

Donald Trump, Jr., the president’s son, also received around $ 1,550 from Trump Victory for travel reimbursements.

Speaking of recounts …

Trump’s campaign reported spending around $ 8.8 million on recount-related expenses during the fundraising period, including $ 2.6 million on legal advice.

Biden’s campaign did not report any expenses specifically related to the recounts. The Trump campaign paid 52 different law firms, attorneys and consulting firms for legal advice related to the recount – including $ 30,000 to Jenna Ellis. Ellis, a former Colorado attorney who has become a public face for the campaign’s efforts to cast doubt on the integrity of the vote.

No direct payments were reported to Rudy Giuliani or Sidney Powell, two other lawyers involved in legal proceedings. The campaign has since split from Powell.

The recount ended up increasing Biden’s margin by 87 votes. The Trump campaign is currently challenging Wisconsin’s results in court.

Other high-profile Trump figures around the world were also paid in the weeks following election day.

Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager in the 2016 election, received about $ 2,860 for an “event refund” on November 5, the day he headlined an explosive press conference outside the Philadelphia counting center.

Biden’s transport

Biden raised a lot in his winning bid for president, raising more than $ 112 million between Oct. 15 and Nov. 23, according to the new filings.

He spent that and more – burning over $ 272 million to get to the White House. The big one went to advertising.

But his campaign also spent nearly $ 880,000 to help take out the remaining campaign debt from his short-lived roommate Kamala Harris’s candidacy.

Biden and Harris rounded off the campaign with high profile concerts by Lady Gaga and John Legend in the key battlefield state of Pennsylvania. It came at a price: the campaign paid $ 144,600 for transportation costs to Lady Gaga’s company, Mermaid Touring.

Madness of money

The 2020 Senate contests attracted huge sums of money, even for losing candidates. Take South Carolina, where three-term Republican Senator Lindsey Graham raised $ 109 million, the most raised by a sitting senator in US history and the most by a Republican candidate for the Senate.

Graham’s haul exceeds the $ 85.2 million Republican Senator from Florida Rick Scott reported during his self-funded campaign in 2018, said Glavin, an analyst with the Campaign Finance Institute.

Graham’s Democratic rival Jaime Harrison raised even more – $ 132 million in total – during his failure. Graham beat the Democrat in double digits and, in a press release, highlighted his largesse to other Republicans. Graham said since Election Day he sent $ 1 million to help his party’s Senate election campaign with a double runoff in Georgia.

This week’s filings with the Federal Election Commission also offer a final tally on another high-profile race that ended in defeat for a Democrat. In Kentucky, Democrat Amy McGrath raised more than $ 96 million in her unsuccessful attempt to oust Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, the top House Republican.

By comparison, McConnell raised more than $ 66 million over the two-year election cycle.

McGrath recently launched a super PAC – Democratic Majority Action – to mobilize his legions of donors and help Democrats in Georgia Senate contests. McConnell’s affiliated Super PACs – the Senate Leadership Fund and American Crossroads – have already dominated spending in contests in Georgia.

Sheldon Adelson’s Big Bet

The new deposits show that casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson continued to spend heavily on Trump’s re-election and to help Republicans keep the Senate.

Adelson and his wife, Miriam, donated a combined $ 15 million to Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC in the final days of the campaign. The couple also invested $ 10 million in the McConnell-aligned Senate Leadership Fund.

In total, the Adelson’s contributions to this round have exceeded $ 210 million, making them one of the biggest political donors of 2020.