Former President Trump's political action committees (PACs) raised more than $82 million in the first half of 2021, per Federal Election Commission filings published on Saturday.
Why it matters: It's a significant amount for a former president who's been banned from major social media platforms. It demonstrates his ability to raise huge sums of money should he choose to run for the presidency for a third time.
- No other former president has ever raked in figures' worth of donations for a political operation, Politico notes.
Details: Trump's affiliated political committees raised nearly $82 million during from Jan. 1 to June 30, 2021, from 3.2 million contributions, according to an emailed statement from his representatives.
- "The committees have approximately $102 million cash on hand," the statement added.
The big picture: Trump's major fund-raising arms are the Save America and Make America Great Again PACs, along with his former campaign account, which became a PAC this year.
- Trump has so far held on to the vast majority of money raised this year, per the Washington Post, which first reported news of the PACs' fund-raising total.