Elections
A new super PAC, dubbed MAGA Inc., is welcome news for Republicans who've seen their Senate candidates vastly outraised by Democrats.
While Trump has been publicly flirting for months with launching a 2024 bid, it’s unclear when — or if — he plans to do so. | Drew Angerer/Getty Images
By Alex Isenstadt
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Donald Trump’s top lieutenants are launching a new super PAC that is expected to spend heavily to bolster his endorsed candidates in the midterm election — and, some people close to the former president say, could become a campaign apparatus if he runs in 2024.
Sanctioned by the former president, the new group, dubbed MAGA, Inc., will become the primary vehicle for Trump’s operation to engage in political activity in 2022. The outfit is designed to funnel large sums into key races and could conceivably be used to boost Trump in the event he seeks the White House again.
The organization provides the clearest indication yet of how Trump plans to engage during the final stretch of the midterm campaign and, those in the former president’s orbit say, offers a preview into what the structure of a 2024 campaign could look like. Republicans have been heavily outspent in races across the map, and party strategists have been anxious for Trump — by far the party’s biggest money magnet — to help financially.
Trump has spent minimally on behalf of Republican candidates so far this year, but that’s about to change with the new super PAC. Save America, the former president’s leadership PAC and one of the best-funded entities in politics, has around a $100 million cash reserve — money that can be transferred to MAGA, Inc.
“President Trump is committed to saving America, and Make America Great Again, Inc. will ensure that is achieved at the ballot box in November and beyond,” said Taylor Budowich, a Trump spokesperson.
MAGA, Inc. will be overseen by Budowich, who’s been serving as the former president’s communications director and was previously a senior adviser on his 2020 reelection campaign. Chris LaCivita, a veteran Republican operative who in 2020 ran the biggest-spending pro-Trump super PAC, will be the vehicle’s chief strategist. Tony Fabrizio, a longtime Trump pollster who worked on his 2016 and 2020 campaigns, will oversee polling.
Running the finance team will be veteran GOP fundraiser Meredith O’Rourke, who has worked for Trump. The communications department will be staffed by Steven Cheung, who worked on Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns and worked in his administration, and Alex Pfeiffer, a conservative media strategist and former producer for Fox News host Tucker Carlson.
Sergio Gor, the publisher of Trump’s post-presidential book “A Journey Together,” will be a senior adviser.
Until now, Trump’s political operation had been staffed by a small number of close advisers. The new super PAC will mark a significant build-out of his political apparatus.
MAGA, Inc. will effectively merge with the existing pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Again!, which is run by former Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi. MAGA, Again! has had a relatively low profile throughout the midterms and has struggled to make an impact in races, though a person familiar with the group said it recently held a fundraiser at Trump’s Bedminster, N.J. golf club that raised $1 million. Like Save America, MAGA, Again! can funnel its remaining funds to MAGA, Inc.
People involved in the new group declined to say how much it will spend in midterm races or where it will direct its money. But one person close to Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said the new group — and the prospect of an influx of resources — is welcome news for Republicans, who have struggled to keep pace in fundraising in several battleground Senate races.
LaCivita has a long history of working in Senate contests. He twice served as political director for the National Republican Senatorial Committee. During the fall of the 2020 campaign, he launched Preserve America, a pro-Trump super PAC that was heavily funded by the late casino mogul Sheldon Adelson and his wife, Miriam.
Trump has a lot riding on the outcome of the midterms: The former president has endorsed a slate of candidates, whose fortunes will determine whether he emerges looking like a kingmaker or an anchor within the party. If his candidates do well, it would provide Trump momentum if he decides to run again for president. If they lose, it would raise questions about his ongoing political strength.
While Trump has been publicly flirting for months with launching a 2024 bid, it’s unclear when — or if — he plans to do so. He has told allies privately that he’s trying to decide whether it makes more sense for him to announce his campaign before or after the election.
With the launch of the new super PAC, he would have a vehicle that could spend unlimited amounts in support of his candidacy. Unlike Save America, which has restrictions on how much it can spend on political activity, MAGA, Inc. can spend freely.
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