In the 10 months since Donald Trump became president in January 2025, the Republican National Committee has spent at least $800,000 at Trump’s hotels and country clubs, while MAGA Inc., Trump’s super PAC, has spent over $40,000, according to Federal Election Commission data. The spending patterns raise questions about whether campaign funds are being directed to Trump-owned properties at a time when his approval ratings have declined and major policy initiatives face widespread public opposition.
The expenditures come as Trump has dramatically scaled back domestic travel compared to his first term, opting instead to spend time at his private clubs and golf resorts. According to multiple reports, Trump made several foreign trips since January, but his domestic travel has been limited largely to his own properties in New Jersey and Florida. The shift represents a significant change in how he conducts the presidency during his second administration.
Political committees spending money at Trump properties is not new, but the amounts disclosed in Federal Election Commission filings have drawn attention from ethics watchdogs and political observers. The Republican National Committee’s spending of nearly $800,000 at Trump-branded venues represents a substantial transfer of political funds to businesses owned by the sitting president, a practice that blurs the line between campaign operations and personal financial interests.
The spending patterns coincide with a period of declining public support for Trump and his signature policies. According to a Pew Research survey, 60 percent of Americans disapprove of Trump’s job performance. His administration’s tariff policies face even steeper opposition, with 61 percent of Americans disapproving of the tariff policies.
Trump’s limited domestic travel has contributed to concerns among some Republican allies that the president has become isolated from ordinary voters. As one report noted, “Every president, of course, deals with being in a bubble, distanced by the demands on his time and the extraordinary security concerns that come with the office. But in his return to the presidency this year, Trump has seldom ventured across the country to anywhere other than his own clubs.” This pattern represents a departure from his first term, when he regularly held campaign-style rallies across the country and met with local officials and supporters.
The president’s focus on international affairs and time spent at his properties has coincided with electoral setbacks for his party. GOP gubernatorial candidates lost in both New Jersey and Virginia, races that served as bellwethers for the administration’s standing with voters. The losses highlighted growing concerns about Trump’s connection to everyday Americans.
Meanwhile, Trump’s administration has been consumed by the Jeffrey Epstein scandal, which has created fissures within the Republican Party. The House Oversight released Epstein documents on a Wednesday, prompting intense scrutiny of Trump’s past association with the late convicted sex offender. A House vote on Epstein files is expected Tuesday, with a bipartisan coalition supporting transparency despite initial White House opposition.
The controversies have taken a toll on party unity. Trump withdrew his endorsement of Marjorie Taylor Greene on a Friday after she questioned whether he remained committed to his “America First” agenda. Greene had announced her resignation from Congress following disagreements with the president over his foreign travel and policy priorities. The public break with Greene, once among Trump’s most loyal allies, highlighted growing tensions within the MAGA movement. As Greene told NBC News, “We didn’t elect the president to go out there and travel the world and end the foreign wars.”
Adding to the administration’s challenges, Trump used the r-word against Minnesota Governor Tim Walz on Thanksgiving, prompting Indiana Republican State Senator Michael Bohacek to vote no on redistricting that would have benefited the party. Bohacek posted on Facebook that Trump’s language was “the final straw” in his decision, stating “I will be voting NO on redistricting, perhaps he can use the next 10 months to convince voters that his policies and behavior deserve a congressional majority.” The incident underscored how Trump’s rhetoric continues to create political complications even among Republican lawmakers who typically support his agenda.
The Supreme Court heard tariff challenge arguments on a Wednesday, with Justice Neil Gorsuch among those questioning the administration’s broad claims of executive authority. The legal challenges to Trump’s economic policies add another layer of uncertainty to an administration already facing low approval ratings and internal party divisions.
The administration also faced a record-breaking government shutdown during Trump’s second term, further complicating efforts to maintain party unity and public support. Trump asked Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate Epstein ties involving prominent Democrats including Bill Clinton, Larry Summers and Reid Hoffman, though critics characterized the move as an attempt to deflect attention from his own associations with the financier.
As Trump approaches the one-year mark of his second term, the combination of declining approval ratings, controversial spending patterns at his properties, policy setbacks and intraparty conflicts presents significant challenges. The approximately $800,000 in RNC spending at Trump properties during this turbulent period has intensified scrutiny of whether political funds are being used appropriately or whether they represent an improper financial benefit to the sitting president.
