Republican Presidential
candidate Donald Trump speaks during his rally at the Charleston Civic
Center on May 5, 2016. (Photo by Mark Lyons/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON—A close friend of Donald Trump has helped start a super PAC to support him, potentially giving the presumptive Republican presidential nominee his first big-donor help for the general election.
Tom Barrack, a Los Angeles real estate investor, said in an interview with CNN on Thursday that the group has already received $32 million in financial commitments. The group is called Rebuilding America Now, according to documents filed with federal regulators.
Like other super PACs, the new group will be able to accept unlimited amounts of money from wealthy donors, but won’t be permitted to take directions from the candidate or his campaign.
There already are several super PACs backing Trump, but none is seen as having the blessing of his campaign. That potentially could cause confusion for donors who want to be convinced that they’re giving to a group that Trump himself sees as helpful to his cause.
Another complication: Trump has repeatedly condemned all super PACs as “corrupt.”
There is no such confusion on the Democratic side. There’s no dispute that Priorities USA, which is stocked with friends and allies of likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, is the major money vehicle aiding her. It has plans to spend at least $136 million in advertising before the November election.
One existing pro-Trump group, Great America PAC, had raised $1 million, but was in debt at the end of April. So far, it has raised most of its money from people giving $200 or less. Another entity, Committee for American Sovereignty, formed only recently and is run by a former aide to one of Trump’s former rivals, Ben Carson.
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