President Trump is leveraging the comprehensive Republican respect for him to further control the world of GOP big money, the final reigning GOP big money, the last remaining reigning party of Trump's skepticism.
Over the years, Super PACs are allied with Republicans in the House and Senate, part of the most powerful and independent territory in American politics, spending hundreds of millions of dollars in each election.
But despite Trump being his second term and unable to run again, he is quickly bringing them within his territory of influence – a sign that his control over the party can withstand the future.
Both the Congressional Leadership Fund and the Senate Leadership Fund have new leaders this year, working closer than ever with the White House, overhauling the board and setting up veteran Trump strategists in senior positions.
At the same time, Trump's super PAC, MAGA Inc., and its allies' nonprofits have accumulated around $400 million since the 2024 election, according to two people who described funding that claimed anonymity to discuss the organization's finances. That total is unprecedented early in the election cycle, especially for appointed presidents. Trump's super PAC is expected to play a major role in midterm elections, scrambling the normal flow of cash and infiltrating the traditional domination of Congress's super PACs.
The changes in both personnel and financial firepower amount to a fundamental sort of Republican finances and an extraordinary expansion of Trump's already overwhelming upset. An interview with senior Republicans who allied with Capitol Hill leaders reveals private fears about power imbalances when the top GOP super PACs are weakened and oversubmitted to Trump.
The concerns are particularly severe in the House, where he owes his posts, primarily to Trump. His allies fear how this will unfold when not only their independence, but the president's personal res and agendas are at odds with the political priorities of Republican leaders in the conference room, dividing the GOP and potentially bringing to Democrats.
Some Republicans say that Capitol Hill's hand-held relationship with the White House is simply good politics, and bringing Trump's allies inside the tent is far more strategic than the president wreaking havoc from afar. Republican strategists involved in the midterm elections agree that the party must motivate Trump supporters, even when he is not on the ballot.
“Political integrity in the medium term is an absolute necessity,” said Josh Holmes, who played an important role in advising the Senate Leadership Fund when Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky was a majority leader. “I'm not that worried about my bank account looking bigger than I'm doing about alignment.”
Influx of Trump Allies
There is a huge change happening in the Congressional Leadership Fund. This is the main external group working to elect Republicans to the House.
The new Super PAC president and its alliance's nonprofit Chris Winkelmann is actively working with Trump's team. Chris Lacivita, one of the top advisors to the president in 2024, is a senior adviser to the group in addition to supporting Steer at MAGA Inc.
The House Super PAC has added at least three new people to its board, including Vice President JD Vance and Donald Trump Jr.'s top political advisor Andy Slavian, and Republican, top Republican National Committee strategist Richard Walters during Trump's first term and 2024 campaign. No additions have also been reported previously, including Matt Brooks, the CEO of the Pro-Trump Republican Jewish Coalition.
“We are actively looking for these people because these people are good at what they do,” Winkelmann said in an interview. “Is this what should a unified government look like among political experts?”
Trump's allies have also arrived on the Senate side.
The new executive director of the Senate Leadership Fund and its alliance nonprofit, Alex Ratcham, was a staff member of the Trump 2024 campaign. He said his group would “work closely with President Trump to ensure that Democrats' radical vision for America never becomes a reality.”
The Senate Super PAC has replaced the entire board of directors. The new chair is Sen. Corey Gardner, a former Colorado Senator, and although he is close to a major donor, it is not clear what the board's makeup is. The other members are expected to become ally of Senator John Tune, the leader of the new majority. Johnny Destefano, the abdomen of one Thune who served in the first Trump administration, has joined the SLF board and is already working for the CLF board.
Super PACs are primarily led by party leaders in each room, but changing the boards of the group is important for symbolism.
Vision of future troubles
The fact that Trump's super PAC warps Congress leaders' super packs become bigger.
Of course, the president has always played a major role in the Downballot race, freeing upholding the mid-term candidates in 2022 in ways that irritate some senior Republicans. But he wasn't a major financial driver. The Congressional Leadership Fund spent about $260 million that cycle, and the Senate Leadership Fund spent $290 million, while Trump's group laid out just $19 million.
So far, early in the 2026 election cycle, Republicans say there are few indications of a complete conflict between Trump's operations and Capitol Hill Republicans. But in a personal conversation between themselves, some Republicans say they can foresee that they are in trouble.
The biggest concern is if MAGA Inc. began spending wartime breasts in 2026 against someone like the North Carolina Senator, one of the most vulnerable Republican incumbents.
This week, Tillis announced he would not support Trump's candidate, Ed Martin, a Washington US lawyer, for his job defending the mob that stormed the Capitol in 2021.
Trump's incentives, who praise loyalty and not prepared for reelection, could easily fork from the Senate's super PAC's objectives, which generally seek to support more modest candidates.
During his private conversation, Winkelmann expressed concern that his super PAC is overwhelmed by Trump's group, according to three people who discussed the issue with him.
Winkelmann denied expressing the sentiment. “This is not true,” he said in a statement, adding that the Trump team was invested in keeping the majority of the home. “We would be foolish not to welcome more money and not to welcome victory,” he said.
Unprecedented fundraising
A term-limited president has never accumulated so much funding power.
The only other second-term president in the super PAC era with such a group has been President Barack Obama since 2012.
Trump made another decision. He has made headlines for at least six Maga Inc. fundraisers since being elected in November, with the seat price tag reaching $1.5 million in an event with cryptocurrency executives who attended Monday in the Washington area.
Much of the money Trump is raising comes from the profits of businesses eager to access him better.
Trump's allies essentially say he's collecting money because he can. However, it is difficult to ignore that cash spurts match his repeated comments about the constitutionally prohibited third term. Officials at Maga Inc. did not respond to requests for comment.
Trump is said to know much more about the importance of maintaining Congressional control than his first term, but even some of the people who help him raise money have personally confused why doing so is such a priority.
Trump is also supported by Elon Musk, the wealthiest man in the world. He shows he wants to donate at least $100 million to the president's political campaign.
Concerns about cannibalism
So far, Trump's political groups have been at almost low as they vacuum their money. But on Friday, the nonprofit that ensures America's greatness began purchasing television ads to promote the president's tax system.
Some Republicans are worried that donors and businesses are sending limited resources to Trump's group as they struggle with “cannibalism,” or the House and Senate super PACs.
Thune maintains an aggressive funding schedule. This month, the Senate Leadership Fund hosted a donor event on the sidelines of the Formula 1 race in Miami.
Still, some candidates are worried about the new funding situation and are considering starting their own external group.
For example, some people close to Tillis are uncertain about how much financial backup he will receive from Tune, especially if Trump chases after the North Carolina Senator. According to two people who were described on the issue, Tillis is in the process of setting up his own external group for the race. The move is simply aimed at giving him more ways to raise money, but it would also provide him with more financial autonomy.
Tillis strategist Jordan Shaw said the campaign “has all the trust in the world of SLF, Maga Inc. and the Republican ecosystem as a whole.”
Maga Inc. itself led an influential donor group called the Rockbridge Network and brought in a new notable advisor, Chris Baskirk, who is close to Vance. His role in the previously unreported super PAC can support the Vice President.
Meanwhile, Lacivita is not just involved with Maga Inc. and House Gop Super PAC. He was recently quietly added to the Data Trust Committee, a Republican company.
