Before I start to dump on Trumpenstein, I have a Special Announcement to make. I’m so sick of just sitting around the house all day, every day, I am now Officially running for President in 2024, where I’ll kick Trump’s pansy ass all the way back to retirement and his defense table. Just send cash!
Oh, boy! I’m in phat City now, right? Tomorrow I start booking private jet flights to exclusive golf resorts, where I stand in the parking lot and give about half hour speeches to about a dozen people who thought I was somebody else, ending with a plea for cash. Then I go home and write the whole thing off to my campaign. Yeah, right.
All current evidence points to Traitor Tot taking to the airwaves in the next 10-14 days, probably with a slobbering Sean Hannity on FUX News to officially announce his 2024 Presidential run. Just one problem, Trump’s pregnant announcement on a larger media platform has no more practical effect than the drivel I just typed above.
Because There are rules involved in running for President. And the first one is that you have to File your candidacy paperwork with the FEC. And right now, the last thing Traitor Tot wants to do is actually file any official paperwork anywhere. It’s all just another scam, and as self serving as hell. I’ll explain.
In making this announcement, Trump is showing his world class imbecility for doing one stupid thing for two different stupid reasons. The first reason for the preemptive strike is that His Lowness wants to make his stake, and slow down GOP Florida Ron DeSantis’s momentum and 2024 media coverage. Good luck with that one. The second one is equally stupid. Trump is announcing his candidacy in order to slow down or even stop the DOJ’s investigations into him, by claiming political harassment against a viable national candidate. Good luck there too.
Numero Uno. Pissantis is spoiling for this fight. Trump has been slapping at him, trying to force him back into fealty. But Pissantis is riding high, and the sooner Trump announces, the sooner Pissantis can announce, and these two titans will clear the rest of the field. Tom Cotton already announced he’s not running in 2024. Numero Dos. This isn’t going to stop the DOJ’s work, mainly because it isn’t even the 2024 campaign yet, much less within 60 days of election day. For proof, see GOP Reps Collins of New York and Hunter of California, both of whom were indicted, on insider trading charges and campaign finance violations respectively, while the primaries were going on.
But the real reason is that Trump isn’t even an actual candidate yet. Announcements don’t mean jack shit. To be a candidate, you have to declare for the office and turn in your paperwork. And the last thing Trump wants to do right now is to file that paperwork for as long as possible. Simply because it would be financially disastrous for him.
This gets a bit into FEC financial weeds, so I’ll try to keep it easy. In early 2021, DeSantis officially declared his candidacy for Governor in 2022 and filed his paperwork, allowing him to open up his reelection campaign fundraising apparatus. This is critical. DeSantis has apparently done well, with one report I saw showing him as having already taken in more than $100 million. And win or lose on Tuesday, it isn’t going to cost DeSantis $100 million to run against Crist. He’s going to have a hefty war chest for a 2024 run.
When Trump got obliterated in 2020, he didn’t declare for any lower elective position in early 2021. Instead he formed a Leadership PAC, This allowed him to continue to sponge off of the sheeple, under more lenient PAC rules that allow him to skim off the top for things like personal travel, and legal fees, as well as clothing. Trump has also done well, also reportedly raking in more than $100 million in under 2 years. But that’s where the comparison ends, because there are rules.
Let’s say that DeSantis wins on Tuesday, and has $65 million left over in his reelection campaign fund. In January, DeSantis files the paperwork, declares for President, and opens his campaign contribution arm. Because both of the funds are basically election campaign funds, DeSantis can basically just change the name on his reelection fund, and start out with some $65 million already in his kick. One of the best starting positions I’ve heard of in a long time.
Trump’s position on the other hand, is diametrically opposite of DeSantis’. Let’s say that Trump files his paperwork and officially declares this Friday, and opens his Campaign election fund. Trump will start that fund with $0 in it. Dead stony broke. That’s because his $100 million, minus grifting expenses of course, is in a Leadership PAC. And FEC law requires that campaign funds and PAC or Super PAC funds remain entirely separate. Trump can’t donate any of it from the PAC to his campaign fund, he can’t loan any of it from the PAC to the campaign fund, he can’t touch it. And this creates a true paradox for Trump. He is going to want to fund raise the shit out of that election campaign fund, but every penny he raises for his election campaign is a penny he can’t siphon into his Leadership PAC, and he has expensive tastes, as well as hellacious legal bills right now.
Which brings us to the real reason that The Cheeto Prophet literally can’t file his paperwork and make his candidacy official. If Trump files his paperwork, and officially becomes a candidate, then he assumes dictatorial control over his election campaign fund. Which will be stony broke. But in return for that, he must completely sever himself from any position in his Leadership OAC. FEC law is black letter on that point. There can be absolutely no control and coordination between PACs and campaigns. They can’t even share ideas on advertising. If Trump files his paperwork and runs, he voluntarily walks away from 100 million simoleons, with no way to skim off of it.
That’s the real reason why I don’t think Trump will be on the ballot in 2024. If Trump announces, then he can continue to jet all around the country, making ego soothing rally speeches, and accusing the DOJ of a purely partisan witch hunt in their investigation and eventual prosecution of him, which is pure bullshit, but hey!, whatever gets you through the night. If he files and runs, he starts out financially behind an incredibly aggressive opponent who will maul him like a mother tiger against a hyena. Trump has already been mauled twice before, by Clinton in the popular vote in 2016, and the anti Trump protests, and mauled even worse by Biden in 2020. I don’t see him wanting to risk a repeat of that feeling in a freakin’ primary in 2024.
But more importantly, if he does, he’s walking away from some $100 million. And going into the new year, Trump is going to be beset by a tsunami of legal bills. There’s probable indictments out of Fulton County, Georgia, probable indictments coming out from the DOJ for the Mar-A-Lago documents debacle, as well as possible J6 related charges, as well as NY AG Letitia James’s upcoming civil corruption trial against him and his company. Trump is a well enough legal mooch that the lawyers he now has have taken steps to make sure they get paid. Take my word for it, with Trump, cash is king. And I don’t see him walking away from $100 million. Run the Leadership PAC scam as long as he can, and then bail. Don’t touch that dial.
just as an aside to this wonderful article. Greg abbott had built up a 50 million dollar fund for reelection. pumping every corrupt way donations he could by appointing big donors to important boards like the Ut System and the UtA&m system. abbott never turned down a donor to any board if they donated enough money. Beto started out behind in cash on hand, but has out raised abbott the last three reporting periods. Abbott wanted to be president, but has had to blow all his campaign cash to save his job, if even that happens.
“Let’s say that DeSantis wins on Tuesday, and has $65 million left over in his reelection campaign fund. In January, DeSantis files the paperwork, declares for President, and opens his campaign contribution arm. Because both of the funds are basically election campaign funds, DeSantis can basically just change the name on his reelection fund, and start out with some $65 million already in his kick. One of the best starting positions I’ve heard of in a long time.”
THIS is why we need SERIOUS campaign reform laws put into action and tell the courts (from the smallest municipal court all the way to the Supreme Court) to stay the fuck out of the issue since the most important courts (ie, the Federal level) are NOT elected by anyone. State and local courts are usually elective offices, beholden to the voting public, but every single judge sitting on any Federal court is nominated by a President and then accepted or rejected by a simple 100-member body who do NOT ask their constituents their opinions before voting on the nomination.
That rant aside, the main thrust is that campaign funds should be used ONLY for the specific campaign for which they were raised and not turned into some little “rainy day” or “personal IRA” fund. At the very most, any funds remaining after paying off campaign costs from the cycle for which the funds were raised should be donated to other campaigns or subjected to Federal income taxes. I’d be willing to allow a campaign to retain 5%–maybe 10%–as the start up cost for a new campaign but anything more that isn’t donated before the election needs to be subjected to taxation. If a state doesn’t have personal or corporate taxation, then the excess money should be turned over to the state–after the Feds have taken their share of taxes–or returned to the donors, prorated if necessary.
Great idea!! Of course, not a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening because (duh!) the people writing the laws are the beneficiaries! Welcome to America!
maybe put into the federal election fund like you can checkoff on your 1040. spread it around to other deserving candidates as matching funds.
Every breath mango man takes is a waste. It will be a great day when he no longer wastes ANY more of them.
NOW:
what gives you the idea that Mango Mussolini will obey any of those laws, or that anyone will hold him accountable when he doesn’t? Isn’t Blake Masters right this minute getting away with exactly this sort of cross PAC/campaign coordination and no one in power is saying Boo to him? Campaign finance laws are a bad joke.
I keep wondering. I have NO idea of paperwork required to become a candidate for U.S. President. But I wonder if there is some box to check off that either you have not served as U.S. President or, if you have, you have not served two terms. If you have served TWO terms, then you are ineligible to seek a third term. So if he is (hahahaha) truthful and states he has not served more than one term, then he finally concedes that Biden won. If he states he has been elected U.S. President for 2 terms, per the Big Lie, then he cannot be a candidate for a third term. Does it work that way when declaring candidacy for this office?