[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Former President Donald Trump, who failed to win re-election last year and was ousted from social media platforms, has raised $102 million (approximately 117.5 billion KRW) in political funds.
According to WinRed, the Republican Party's fundraising platform, Trump secured $82 million in donations this year, bringing his total political funds to $102 million as of the end of June.
This is the largest amount raised by a Republican politician, slightly less than the $84 million raised by the Republican National Committee (RNC) in the first half of the year, the New York Times (NYT) reported.
The NYT stated that $56 million of this year's fundraising was collected online, with $34.3 million coming from the RNC's joint fundraising committee "Trump Make America Great Again (MAGA)".
Additionally, Trump raised $21 million from political action committees (PACs) such as "Save America," which he manages.
Regarding this, The Washington Post (WP) noted, "This shows how abundant Trump's political funding power would be if he runs for president for the third time."
Although Trump has not specified the exact use of the funds, WP reported that he currently holds considerable discretion over their use.
Foreign media predict that Trump may use these funds to exert influence in next year's midterm elections or to support "loyal" candidates he endorses, including his third presidential bid.
Bloomberg News suggested that Trump could use Save America's funds for various lawsuits he is pursuing. In early July, Trump filed lawsuits against Facebook, Twitter, and Google, which had suspended his accounts.
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