Latest news with #SecuringAmericanGreatness
CNN
21-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Conservative groups unleash spending blitz to pass Trump's bill
As President Donald Trump works to muscle his sweeping tax and spending cuts package through Congress, a network of conservative groups has undertaken a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz to spread his message to voters and pressure recalcitrant lawmakers to get in line. The outside spending to pass the 'big, beautiful bill' at the center of Trump's domestic agenda also offers a preview of the campaigns GOP lawmakers could face in the months to come, urging them to back the president's moves or face potential political consequences in next year's midterm elections. A collection of roughly half a dozen groups has spent more than $8 million booking ad time since the start of the month, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact, promoting the massive bill Republicans are racing to get through the House before next week's Memorial Day recess. One of the big early spenders is Securing American Greatness, part of the president's political orbit and a beneficiary of the unprecedented fundraising Trump has undertaken as a term-limited president. That group – the nonprofit arm of Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC – has booked more than $6 million worth of ad time since the start of the month. And it has already spent more than $2 million on a 30-second spot that blames Democratic leaders, including former President Joe Biden, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, for economic challenges that it argues Trump 'is fixing' with his proposals. 'They've ruined our economy; President Trump is fixing it,' the ad begins. 'Trump's plan: middle class tax cuts, job creating tax cuts, tariffs that bring home American jobs, slashing waste, fraud and abuse, increasing American energy production, bringing down prices.' Corry Bliss, a Republican consultant, said the ad blitz from Trump allies is an early show of strength and a smart strategy. 'This big beautiful bill is the president's agenda,' he said. 'He ran on this agenda. He won on this agenda. And now he needs to deliver this agenda.' 'His well-funded political operation makes clear that Trump is saying ahead of the 2026 midterms, 'I will support the candidates who help my message,'' Bliss added. A constellation of other organizations is also pushing for the package. For instance, Americans for Prosperity, affiliated with Kansas billionaire and sometime-Trump nemesis Charles Koch, has run more than $1 million worth of advertising already, and is promising to spend $20 million altogether on its Protect Prosperity campaign, aimed at extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts that are the heart of the draft legislation. 'Voters didn't send Republicans to Washington to raise taxes. They sent them to cut spending and protect their paychecks,' says one of AFP's ads, which began airing last week. 'Tell the politicians we need tax relief, not tax hikes.' Despite backing Trump rival Nikki Haley in last year's presidential primary, extending the president's tax cuts 'is our number one priority,' said AFP spokesman Bill Riggs. In addition to its advertising, AFP is lobbying members on Capitol Hill and dispatching its standing army of activists to talk to voters in key congressional districts. 'Lawmakers should know AFP is going to be there every step of the way to help get it done, and after it is, we'll be there to make sure voters understand the benefits,' Riggs said. Other groups with ties to the administration and GOP congressional leadership have also launched waves of advertisements, aimed at both shoring up Republican votes and targeting some Democrats. For example, the Club For Growth, an influential conservative organization, went up with an ad last week aimed at GOP Rep. Mike Lawler from New York's battleground 17th Congressional District, urging his constituents to call and 'tell him to extend and expand Trump's tax cuts.' Lawler is among several Republicans from high-tax states who have pushed for a higher cap on the amount of local and state taxes his constituents are allowed to deduct from their federal income taxes. A new Club for Growth commercial released this week takes aim at another New York Republican, second-term Rep. Nick LaLota, who campaigned last year on repealing the cap on the state and local tax deduction that Trump signed into law in his first term. The Club's president David McIntosh recently told reporters that he anticipated a seven-figure campaign from the group to pass the Trump bill but did not release a more specific budget. Another group called 'Unleash Prosperity Now,' co-founded by former Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore, is running an ad targeting several Democrats, including the representative from New York's highly competitive 19th Congressional District, Josh Riley.'What do you think about your Democratic congressman, Josh Riley, voting to let the Trump tax cuts expire, raising your family tax bill?' the ad says. Other advertising reflects lobbying to secure specific outcomes – as competing factions in the GOP House conference push their own priorities. A group called the American Job Creation Alliance, founded by veteran GOP operative Dan Conston for the legislative battle, launched a $750,000 ad campaign this week, targeting members of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Earlier in the debate over the bill, some Republicans in the House weighed limiting or eliminating state and local tax deductions for corporations, known as C-SALT, in their search for additional revenue to offset the bill's broader costs. The alliance is fighting to keep the deductions in place, saying that ending them would amount to an across-the-board increase in corporate taxes. 'President Trump's historic tax cuts brought record prosperity to America,' says one of the group's ads, variations of which highlight a series of members on the House Ways & Means Committee, which oversees tax policy. 'That's why it's so important Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick is fighting to extend the tax cuts with C-SALT in place.' The advertising blitz comes at a critical moment for the GOP in Washington with deep divides remaining among key factions in the House Republican conference, which holds a paper-thin majority in the chamber. Underscoring the stakes, Trump traveled to Capitol Hill this week in an attempt to win over holdouts on the legislation. And he warned that House Republicans who oppose the bill could 'possibly' face primary challenges. Although Trump cannot seek a third term, he continues to build the financial firepower of his political operation and recently headlined fundraising dinners for his super PAC that came with a seven-figure price tag for each attendee. (Super PACs can raise unlimited sums, unlike candidate committees.) At issue is the balance of tax cuts, spending cuts, and deficit reduction that the legislative package will strike – with some of those priorities in tension with each other. And the prospect of painful cuts has already emerged as a Democratic attack line, which some of the new ads from GOP outside groups aim to rebut. 'There's a lot of misinformation out there trying to scare seniors. Trust me, Congressman Tom Kean Jr. is fighting to protect all of us,' says an ad from the American Action Network, a leading conservative non-profit aligned with House Republican leadership, which is aimed at boosting a Republican member in another highly competitive House district. 'He's supporting President Trump's common sense reforms to root out waste, fraud, and abuse,' it continues. Democrats, meanwhile, are already using some of the bill's controversial measures to target Republicans in off-year campaigns – providing a possible preview of the party's 2026 midterm messaging. For example, in New Jersey, where a crowded field of Democrats is competing for the chance to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, contenders' campaign ads are blasting Republican proposals in Washington. 'I'll fight Donald Trump's Medicaid cuts by using the state surplus,' says an ad from Jersey City Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial contender Steve Fulop, referring to potential cuts to the federal health insurance program weighed by GOP lawmakers as they search for ways to pay for Trump's landmark legislation. 'Mikie Sherrill will stop Trump from gutting Medicaid,' says another ad from a group supporting the Democratic congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate.
CNN
21-05-2025
- Business
- CNN
Conservative groups unleash spending blitz to pass Trump's bill
As President Donald Trump works to muscle his sweeping tax and spending cuts package through Congress, a network of conservative groups has undertaken a multimillion-dollar advertising blitz to spread his message to voters and pressure recalcitrant lawmakers to get in line. The outside spending to pass the 'big, beautiful bill' at the center of Trump's domestic agenda also offers a preview of the campaigns GOP lawmakers could face in the months to come, urging them to back the president's moves or face potential political consequences in next year's midterm elections. A collection of roughly half a dozen groups has spent more than $8 million booking ad time since the start of the month, according to data from the ad tracking firm AdImpact, promoting the massive bill Republicans are racing to get through the House before next week's Memorial Day recess. One of the big early spenders is Securing American Greatness, part of the president's political orbit and a beneficiary of the unprecedented fundraising Trump has undertaken as a term-limited president. That group – the nonprofit arm of Trump's MAGA Inc. super PAC – has booked more than $6 million worth of ad time since the start of the month. And it has already spent more than $2 million on a 30-second spot that blames Democratic leaders, including former President Joe Biden, Sen. Chuck Schumer, and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, for economic challenges that it argues Trump 'is fixing' with his proposals. 'They've ruined our economy; President Trump is fixing it,' the ad begins. 'Trump's plan: middle class tax cuts, job creating tax cuts, tariffs that bring home American jobs, slashing waste, fraud and abuse, increasing American energy production, bringing down prices.' Corry Bliss, a Republican consultant, said the ad blitz from Trump allies is an early show of strength and a smart strategy. 'This big beautiful bill is the president's agenda,' he said. 'He ran on this agenda. He won on this agenda. And now he needs to deliver this agenda.' 'His well-funded political operation makes clear that Trump is saying ahead of the 2026 midterms, 'I will support the candidates who help my message,'' Bliss added. A constellation of other organizations is also pushing for the package. For instance, Americans for Prosperity, affiliated with Kansas billionaire and sometime-Trump nemesis Charles Koch, has run more than $1 million worth of advertising already, and is promising to spend $20 million altogether on its Protect Prosperity campaign, aimed at extending Trump's 2017 tax cuts that are the heart of the draft legislation. 'Voters didn't send Republicans to Washington to raise taxes. They sent them to cut spending and protect their paychecks,' says one of AFP's ads, which began airing last week. 'Tell the politicians we need tax relief, not tax hikes.' Despite backing Trump rival Nikki Haley in last year's presidential primary, extending the president's tax cuts 'is our number one priority,' said AFP spokesman Bill Riggs. In addition to its advertising, AFP is lobbying members on Capitol Hill and dispatching its standing army of activists to talk to voters in key congressional districts. 'Lawmakers should know AFP is going to be there every step of the way to help get it done, and after it is, we'll be there to make sure voters understand the benefits,' Riggs said. Other groups with ties to the administration and GOP congressional leadership have also launched waves of advertisements, aimed at both shoring up Republican votes and targeting some Democrats. For example, the Club For Growth, an influential conservative organization, went up with an ad last week aimed at GOP Rep. Mike Lawler from New York's battleground 17th Congressional District, urging his constituents to call and 'tell him to extend and expand Trump's tax cuts.' Lawler is among several Republicans from high-tax states who have pushed for a higher cap on the amount of local and state taxes his constituents are allowed to deduct from their federal income taxes. A new Club for Growth commercial released this week takes aim at another New York Republican, second-term Rep. Nick LaLota, who campaigned last year on repealing the cap on the state and local tax deduction that Trump signed into law in his first term. The Club's president David McIntosh recently told reporters that he anticipated a seven-figure campaign from the group to pass the Trump bill but did not release a more specific budget. Another group called 'Unleash Prosperity Now,' co-founded by former Trump economic adviser Stephen Moore, is running an ad targeting several Democrats, including the representative from New York's highly competitive 19th Congressional District, Josh Riley.'What do you think about your Democratic congressman, Josh Riley, voting to let the Trump tax cuts expire, raising your family tax bill?' the ad says. Other advertising reflects lobbying to secure specific outcomes – as competing factions in the GOP House conference push their own priorities. A group called the American Job Creation Alliance, founded by veteran GOP operative Dan Conston for the legislative battle, launched a $750,000 ad campaign this week, targeting members of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee. Earlier in the debate over the bill, some Republicans in the House weighed limiting or eliminating state and local tax deductions for corporations, known as C-SALT, in their search for additional revenue to offset the bill's broader costs. The alliance is fighting to keep the deductions in place, saying that ending them would amount to an across-the-board increase in corporate taxes. 'President Trump's historic tax cuts brought record prosperity to America,' says one of the group's ads, variations of which highlight a series of members on the House Ways & Means Committee, which oversees tax policy. 'That's why it's so important Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick is fighting to extend the tax cuts with C-SALT in place.' The advertising blitz comes at a critical moment for the GOP in Washington with deep divides remaining among key factions in the House Republican conference, which holds a paper-thin majority in the chamber. Underscoring the stakes, Trump traveled to Capitol Hill this week in an attempt to win over holdouts on the legislation. And he warned that House Republicans who oppose the bill could 'possibly' face primary challenges. Although Trump cannot seek a third term, he continues to build the financial firepower of his political operation and recently headlined fundraising dinners for his super PAC that came with a seven-figure price tag for each attendee. (Super PACs can raise unlimited sums, unlike candidate committees.) At issue is the balance of tax cuts, spending cuts, and deficit reduction that the legislative package will strike – with some of those priorities in tension with each other. And the prospect of painful cuts has already emerged as a Democratic attack line, which some of the new ads from GOP outside groups aim to rebut. 'There's a lot of misinformation out there trying to scare seniors. Trust me, Congressman Tom Kean Jr. is fighting to protect all of us,' says an ad from the American Action Network, a leading conservative non-profit aligned with House Republican leadership, which is aimed at boosting a Republican member in another highly competitive House district. 'He's supporting President Trump's common sense reforms to root out waste, fraud, and abuse,' it continues. Democrats, meanwhile, are already using some of the bill's controversial measures to target Republicans in off-year campaigns – providing a possible preview of the party's 2026 midterm messaging. For example, in New Jersey, where a crowded field of Democrats is competing for the chance to succeed term-limited Gov. Phil Murphy, contenders' campaign ads are blasting Republican proposals in Washington. 'I'll fight Donald Trump's Medicaid cuts by using the state surplus,' says an ad from Jersey City Mayor and Democratic gubernatorial contender Steve Fulop, referring to potential cuts to the federal health insurance program weighed by GOP lawmakers as they search for ways to pay for Trump's landmark legislation. 'Mikie Sherrill will stop Trump from gutting Medicaid,' says another ad from a group supporting the Democratic congresswoman and gubernatorial candidate.
Axios
09-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Scoop: Trump operation's first ad buy pushes president's tax cut plan
President Trump's cash-flush political operation is out with its first ad buy — a major nationwide purchase aimed at pushing lawmakers to get behind his economic agenda. Why it matters: Trump's $500 billion-plus political machine is the most powerful force in American politics, and he's showing that he's willing to use it. Trump has been aggressively raising money for the operation. This includes a $1.5 million-a-head fundraiser earlier this week in Washington, D.C., attended by pro-crypto interests. Vice President JD Vance held a $1 million-per-person fundraiser last week in Palm Beach, Florida. Its coffers will only further grow: Tech billionaire Elon Musk, who is leading the Trump administration's federal cost-cutting effort, plans to give $100 million to the operation. Details: Securing American Greatness, a pro-Trump nonprofit group that is not required to disclose its donors, is running nationally on cable stations and online starting Monday. A source familiar with the plan said it would air in more than 20 targeted congressional districts, though they didn't specify which ones. The organization is spending in the "high seven figures" to run the spot. Securing American Greatness will run the spot for two weeks as part of a broader, one-month blitz. Zoom in: The commercial highlights Trump's tax cut plan, which he is pushing to be included as part of the budget reconciliation package. "Tell Congress this is a good deal for America. Support President Trump's agenda to get our economy back on track," the ad says. It comes as some Republicans express hesitancy about Trump's economic plan, and how it will be paid for. The spot gives Trump backup on a a pair of issues he's been playing defense on: Tariffs and the Musk-led effort to slash government spending. The tariffs will "bring home American jobs," the ad says. It says Musk's DOGE is slashing "waste, fraud and abuse." Zoom out: Securing American Greatness and the pro-Trump super PAC MAGA Inc. are poised to spend big in the 2026 midterms. The groups will target Democrats with an eye toward expanding the GOP's congressional majorities. It will also reward Republicans who support Trump's agenda — and pressure those who are wavering to get on board. The group is being led by Chris LaCivita and Tony Fabrizio, who were top officials on Trump's 2024 campaign. Their efforts are being closely coordinated with senior White House officials, including Chief of Staff Susie Wiles and Deputy Chief of Staff James Blair. They were formed during the campaign by Taylor Budowich, who is now a senior White House lieutenant.
The Hill
28-03-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Trump posts new Greenland video: ‘Now is the time to stand together'
President Trump shared a new video that touts past U.S. military efforts to defend Greenland, a semiautomous island in the Arctic that the president has repeatedly shown interest in annexing. 'In the cold silence of the tundra, a bond was born not from treaties or trade, but from blood and bravery. While Germany controlled Europe, the Nazis set their sights on the Arctic. Greenland became an unwitting combatant, and the United States stepped in, not to conquer but to protect,' the narrator says in the 90-second video that was released Friday. 'In 1943, nearly 1,000 American soldiers with four chaplains set sail from New York to Greenland, carrying with them hope, duty and a quiet fear. But their ship was torpedoed by a Nazi U-boat, and the frigid waters of the North Atlantic became a grave. Those four chaplains gave up their life vests, giving their lives so that others might live to protect America and Greenland,' the narrator said in the video that was created by Securing American Greatness, a pro-Trump dark money group that was formed during the 2024 presidential election. The 90-second video, which showcases clips of Greenland and footage from World War II, said that Americans and Greenlanders 'stood as sentinels at the top of the world,' but nowadays, the world's largest island, whose foreign affairs are overseen by Denmark, is faced with new 'threats' from Russia's 'aggression' and China's 'expansion.' 'Our shared legacy lives on in every joint mission, every Arctic patrol, every partnership forged in the shadow of melting ice and rising tensions, this is not just history,' the narrator says. 'It is destiny. Now is the time to stand together again, for peace, for security, for the future. America stands with Greenland.' The video from the 501(c)(4) nonprofit was released as Vice President Vance was completing his visit to Greenland. There, Vance toured the U.S.'s Pituffik Space Base, which is located in the northwestern part of the island. Vance also got a military briefing on Arctic security. Both Vance and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth shared the video in posts on X. The vice president said Friday that the U.S. is not likely to use the military to annex Greenland, that he respects the Arctic island's sovereignty and contended that eventually Greenlanders will choose full independence from Denmark. 'We do not think military force is ever going to be necessary,' Vance said. 'What we think is going to happen is that the Greenlanders are going to choose, through self-determination, to become independent of Denmark, and then we're going to have conversations with the people of Greenland from there.' Trump has consistently voiced his desire for the U.S. to acquire Greenland, telling the public that it would bolster Washington's security on the world stage and minimize the threats from China's efforts to be a bigger player in the region to deter Russia from accessing the Arctic. Greenland's officials criticized the U.S. delegation's initial trip itinerary, featuring second lady Usha Vance, national security adviser Mike Waltz and Energy Secretary Chris Wright, and including attendance at a dog sledding race. Greenland has emphasized the island is not for sale. Securing American Greatness, the dark-money nonprofit, can support or oppose candidates for elected office as long as electioneering is not its main activity. The organization, like other dark money groups, can raise an unlimited amount of money without having to disclose its donors. During the 2024 election cycle, Securing American Greatness gave Make America Great Again Inc., the primary Super PAC that backed Trump's White House run, a $52 million contribution on Oct. 22 and dished out a $15 million donation on July 18 to SAG PAC, another pro-Trump outside group, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Boston Globe
12-03-2025
- Automotive
- Boston Globe
Musk seeks to put $100 Million directly into Trump political operation
Advertisement And on Tuesday, as Musk's electric car company, Tesla, faced some violent protests around the globe, Trump made a display of having five Teslas brought to the White House grounds in a demonstration for the news media, and checked out the cars with Musk by his side. It was an extraordinary promotion of a company by the most powerful person in the federal government. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 'I think he's been treated very unfairly by a very small group of people,' Trump told reporters, referring to Musk. 'And I just want people to know that he can't be penalized for being a patriot.' Musk and White House officials didn't return a request for comment. Associates of Musk and Trump have talked in recent days about Musk's planned donation to a Trump-controlled entity. Musk has signaled he wants to make the donations not to his own super political action committee, which is called America PAC and has spent heavily on Trump in the past, but to an outside entity affiliated with the president. The groups that are leading Trump's outside activities include Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC, and Securing American Greatness, a political nonprofit. It is not clear if the money would go to those groups or to a new entity the Trump team could create. Both MAGA Inc. and Securing American Greatness were founded by close allies of Trump, and have a diverse set of major donors aligned with the president. Advertisement Musk is still committed to his own super PAC, which has now spent $6 million to support a conservative candidate in the Wisconsin Supreme Court election next month. He spent close to $300 million on the presidential race last cycle, almost all through America PAC, which he founded last year. But Musk is now showing a willingness to also fund some groups he doesn't directly control. And his past giving indicates he's willing to exceed amounts that other donors might consider excessive. At the moment, Musk may see some political upside in showing that he is a team player of sorts. Musk has been viewed by some Trump officials, including by members of Trump's Cabinet, as pursuing his own agenda without properly consulting the rest of the Trump administration. Musk pointedly backing some of Trump's longer-standing, loyal groups, rather than solely his own, could help soothe those tensions. The precise split of Musk's money, or if he has followed through with his plans, is not known and may never be. The political nonprofit group is not required to disclose its donors. Trump is not eligible for reelection, yet his outside groups are continuing to rake in seven-figure contributions from major donors, presumably to reward friendly lawmakers and pressure those who oppose his agenda.
