🎙️ Voice is AI-generated. Inconsistencies may occur.
Former President Donald Trump was accused of grifting after it was reported that his wife Melania Trump received $155,000 in 2021 from a super PAC affiliated with her husband.
The former first lady was paid in December 2021 by Make America Great Again, Again, which was Trump's leading super PAC at the time. However, the payment initially wasn't mentioned in federal reports, and it was only noticeable after Trump made an expenditure disclosure filing on Thursday, referring to the payment to Melania as a "speaking engagement," according to The New York Times.
Melania's name wasn't mentioned in the super PAC's list of expenditures, which were publicly released last year. The report showed two payments made on December 2 and December 3, 2021, with one totaling $125,000 and another for $30,000 to "Designer's Management Agency." The money was listed under "event planning and consulting," according to records by the Federal Election Commission.
In the new financial disclosure, Trump reported that the $155,000 was paid to his wife on December 2, 2021.
The New York Times report sparked criticism against Trump running for the presidency again despite facing several legal challenges and being indicted twice. He is currently ahead in the polls to be the likely Republican candidate.
Newsweek reached out to Trump's media representative and Melania Trump's press office via email for comment.
"This is yet another example of the outrageous behavior of Donald Trump. Political leaders should not enrich themselves, but rather seek to enrich everyday Americans. It's time for us to move past Trump and invest in a new leader for our future," tweeted former Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson, who is also seeking the GOP nomination for president in 2024.
Former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, another 2024 candidate, called Trump "shameless," tweeting: "A billionaire using donor money to pay personal legal fees, and now paying his wife more than 2x what the average American makes just to pick some tableware. There's grifting and then there's Trump grifting. Undisputed champs."
Citizens for Ethics said on Twitter: "This isn't the first time Trump's political operation made his family money. And it's not clear that we know the full extent of payments to the Trump family. But add $155,000 to the tally."
"The $155,000 was listed as pay for a 'speaking engagement' by Ms. Trump. Must've been one helluva speech!" said Harvard law professor Laurence Tribe tweeted.
Reporting the final destination of where the money is heading is not typically required by federal rules, but committees are required to disclose only the first vendor paid. Charles Gantt, a treasurer at the PAC, told The New York Times that it "complied with all applicable reporting obligations."
Melania was reportedly hired through her agency for "design consulting" for the super PAC's dinner and she was tasked to choose tableware, arrange settings and pick floral arrangements. The fee was $125,000 and she was paid another $30,000 for additional services that are not related to the first contract. But, the super PAC didn't know what was Melania's share of the money received from the agency.
The super PAC ended by late 2022 and transferred $8.9 million to a new, similarly named pro-Trump PAC called Make America Great Again Inc.
About the writer
Fatma Khaled is a Newsweek weekend reporter based in New York City. Her focus is reporting on U.S. politics, world ... Read more