Trump Breaks Tradition By Redirecting Inaugural Swag Funds To His PAC [View all]

Source: Forbes

Official merchandise sales from Donald Trump's inaugural committee may do more than celebrate his second presidency–they could ultimately be used to cover Trump’s personal expenses, including legal fees.

On November 9, the president-elect launched the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, a tax-exempt organization tasked with organizing events surrounding the inauguration; its website, t47inaugural.com, went live around that time, too. The site’s “merchandise” section redirects to WinRed, the Republican Party’s main fundraising platform, offering 38 inauguration-themed items ranging from a $12 pair of buttons to a $70 fleece pullover. In smaller print at the bottom of the page and during checkout, the site discloses that proceeds from these sales go to the Trump National Committee, which allocates 20% to Never Surrender, a leadership PAC formed on Nov. 12 when Trump’s 2024 campaign committee was renamed and restructured, and 80% to the Republican National Committee—completely bypassing the nonprofit inaugural committee.

While campaign contributions cannot legally be used to cover a candidate’s personal expenses, leadership PACs, like Never Surrender, are not bound by such restrictions. This gives Trump significant flexibility in how he uses the proceeds from merchandise commemorating his upcoming inauguration. For instance, another Trump leadership PAC, Save America, has spent $93 million on legal fees and shifted another $720,000 to Trump’s businesses, according to records filed with the Federal Election Commission.

It’s unusual for proceeds from inauguration merchandise to go to a leadership PAC, according to Brett Kappel, an attorney specializing in campaign finance. “The sales of inaugural memorabilia are usually used to pay for the inaugural events,” Kappel says. “As far as I know, this is the first time that the proceeds of such sales are being diverted to a presidential leadership PAC, where they are not subject to the prohibition on personal use.”

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Read more: https://www.forbes.com/sites/zacheverson/2025/01/04/trump-inaugural-merchandise-pac-funds/