Trump commits more than $400m ahead of high-stakes midterm elections

The president’s Republican Party seeks to maintain its hold over both chambers of Congress, despite declining poll numbers.

US President Donald Trump shushes a journalist in the Oval Office on October 20 [Kevin Lamarque/Reuters]

United States President Donald Trump has announced he plans to spend more than $400m to help Republican candidates win the November 3 midterm elections as his party fights to maintain its grip on Congress.

In a post on his Truth Social platform on Tuesday, Trump wrote that much of that total had already been spent on campaign outreach.

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“More than 300 Million Dollars has already been spent on Advertising, Direct and Indirect Voter Contact, Rallies, Rally Arenas, Telerallies, Get Out the Vote Programs, Election Integrity, and more,” Trump said.

“It is my Great Honor to do so on behalf of the Republican Party, which has done so much to bring our Country back from the Edge of Oblivion.”

He added that the November vote was “the Most Important Midterm Elections in our Country’s History”.

The president offered no detailed breakdown of the spending, including how much would reach individual races.

But the promised influx of spending comes as Trump’s Republican Party faces headwinds ahead of the election, including pushback over the economy and the protracted US-Israeli war against Iran .

In the lead-up to the vote, Trump’s approval ratings have tumbled to record lows. A poll this week from the news agency Reuters and the research firm Ipsos found that only 31 percent of Americans approved of Trump’s job performance so far.

Some Republicans have sought to distance themselves from the president as a result. Others have pushed for greater support, particularly for close races with Democrats.

Questions have swirled over whether Trump and his allies would tap into the war chest amassed by MAGA Inc, the super PAC named for his “Make America Great Again” movement.

As a super PAC — or political action committee — MAGA Inc can raise unlimited sums from donors to support or oppose federal candidates. But its spending is legally required to remain independent of their campaigns.

Last month, the Campaign Legal Center (CLC), a campaign finance watchdog, accused Trump of violating those rules by claiming control over MAGA Inc’s expenditures.

The group cited the president’s public statements, including an exchange with reporters in the Oval Office on September 4, when Trump was asked when the money would start flowing to Republican candidates.

He replied that he would spend “whatever amount of money necessary” to help his party. He then added: “This is money from MAGA Inc. This is my money that I control.”

According to its latest federal filing, MAGA Inc entered September with $415.8m in cash reserves, making it one of the most consequential financial resources in the Republican campaign arsenal.

But Trump has questioned why the super PAC’s hefty outlay has not improved Republican polling in key races, including in Ohio, according to Reuters.

Other Trump-aligned groups have also ramped up their political advertising, including two newly formed organisations linked to MAGA Inc, the No Going Back PAC and the Safety and Affordability PAC.

The advertisement tracker AdImpact found that the No Going Back PAC contributed $68.7m in political ads last month alone.

Another Trump ally, tech entrepreneur Elon Musk, has reportedly spent $366m since last year on Republican campaigns through his group, America PAC, and other Republican and conservative groups.

In the final weeks of the midterms, Trump himself has hit the campaign trail, forging ahead with a 32-day campaign blitz . Upcoming stops include South Carolina and Iowa.

The stakes of this year’s election are considerable. Control of Congress hangs in the balance.

Currently, the Republican Party holds slim majorities in both legislative chambers, but Democrats are seeking to leverage Trump’s declining popularity to flip the Senate and the House of Representatives.

If they are successful, they could stymie Trump’s legislative agenda for the final two years of his presidency.

尽管民调支持率下滑，总统所在的共和党仍力图保住其在国会两院的控制权。

10月20日，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普在椭圆形办公室示意一名记者安静。[凯文·拉马克/路透社]

美国总统唐纳德·特朗普宣布，他计划花费超过 4 亿美元帮助共和党候选人在 11 月 3 日的中期选举中获胜，因为共和党正在努力保住其在国会的控制权。

特朗普周二在其 Truth Social 平台上发帖称，这笔总额中的大部分已经用于竞选宣传。

列表 1/4 “你必须做出牺牲”：随着美国中期选举临近，特朗普的支持者依然保持忠诚

列表 2/4：蕾妮·古德的家人就美国移民及海关执法局（ICE）致命枪击事件起诉特朗普政府

特朗普在支持率创历史新低之际，发起中期选举竞选攻势（共4条，此为第3条）

（共4项）特朗普在中期选举前夕，在拉美裔选民中的支持率跌至新低

特朗普说：“我们已经花费了超过 3 亿美元用于广告、直接和间接选民接触、集会、集会场地、电话集会、投票动员计划、选举诚信等等。”

“我非常荣幸能够代表共和党这样做，共和党为使我们的国家摆脱濒临毁灭的边缘做出了巨大贡献。”

他还补充说，11 月的投票是“我国历史上最重要的中期选举”。

总统没有提供详细的支出明细，包括有多少资金将用于各个竞选活动。

但承诺的支出涌入正值特朗普的共和党在选举前面临诸多不利因素之际，包括对经济的反对以及美国和以色列之间旷日持久的对伊战争。

在投票前夕，特朗普的支持率跌至历史新低。路透社和益普索（Ipsos）本周联合发布的一项民调显示，仅有31%的美国人认可特朗普迄今为止的执政表现。

因此，一些共和党人试图与总统保持距离。另一些人则力求获得更多支持，尤其是在与民主党人选情胶着的选战中。

外界纷纷猜测，特朗普及其盟友是否会动用 MAGA Inc.（以其“让美国再次伟大”运动命名的超级政治行动委员会）积累的资金。

作为超级政治行动委员会（Super PAC），MAGA Inc. 可以从捐助者那里筹集无限量的资金，用于支持或反对联邦候选人。但法律规定，其支出必须独立于候选人的竞选活动。

上个月，竞选财务监督机构“竞选法律中心”（CLC）指责特朗普违反了这些规定，声称控制了“让美国再次伟大”（MAGA）公司的支出。

该组织援引了总统的公开声明，包括9月4日在椭圆形办公室与记者的一次交流，当时特朗普被问及何时开始向共和党候选人提供资金。

他回应说，他会“不惜一切代价”来帮助他的党派。然后他又补充道：“这是MAGA公司的钱。这是我的钱，由我掌控。”

根据其最新的联邦文件，MAGA Inc. 截至 9 月份拥有 4.158 亿美元的现金储备，使其成为共和党竞选活动中最重要的财政资源之一。

但据路透社报道，特朗普质疑为什么超级政治行动委员会的巨额支出没有改善共和党在关键选区（包括俄亥俄州）的民调支持率。

其他与特朗普结盟的团体也加大了政治广告投放力度，其中包括两个与 MAGA Inc. 有关联的新成立的组织：No Going Back PAC 和 Safety and Affordability PAC。

广告追踪机构 AdImpact 发现，“不回头”政治行动委员会仅上个月就投入了 6870 万美元用于政治广告。

据报道，特朗普的另一位盟友、科技企业家埃隆·马斯克自去年以来，已通过其组织“美国政治行动委员会”（America PAC）以及其他共和党和保守派团体，在共和党竞选活动中花费了 3.66 亿美元。

在中期选举的最后几周，特朗普本人也投入到竞选活动中，展开为期32天的竞选冲刺。接下来的行程包括南卡罗来纳州和爱荷华州。

今年的选举至关重要，国会的控制权悬而未决。

目前，共和党在两院均仅占微弱多数，但民主党正试图利用特朗普支持率下降的趋势来扭转参议院和众议院的局面。

如果他们成功，他们可能会在特朗普总统任期的最后两年里阻挠他的立法议程。