The Republican National Committee (RNC) paid more than $300,000 to a company in exchange for copies of Donald Trump Jr.’s new book to give to donors, marking the largest single payment the committee has ever reported for donor mementos and gifts, the Daily Beast first reported.
The RNC paid Pursuit Venture LLC $303,892 on Oct. 28, a company that the president’s son is a principal of, for copies of “Liberal Privilege,” Federal Election Commission filings reviewed by the Daily Beast said. It was the largest single payment out of more than 700 for donor gifts.
New: the RNC paid $303,892.47 in late October to purchase copies of Donald Trump Jr’s new book to give out to donors. It appears to be the RNC’s largest-ever payment for “donor mementos” https://t.co/BlUoL380dP
— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) December 4, 2020
The sum did not go directly to Trump Jr., but the bulk purchasing may contribute to artificially inflated aggregate sales and could boost his author ranking on best seller lists. (RELATED: Super PAC Launched By Trump Jr. Aides To Help Republicans In Georgia)
The autographed book copies were given to donors who gave between $50 and $100 to the RNC, which raised significant amounts for Republicans in the days before the election, a source told the Daily Beast.
The fundraising strategy is not uncommon, and numerous other books by high-profile pundits and public officials not related to the president have been purchased for donors before. Republican Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s reelection campaign also reportedly gave an $11,000 payment listed as “supporter gifts” in October to Pursuit Venture, according to the Daily Beast.
The $303,892 purchase was three times more than what the RNC reportedly paid for Trump Jr.’s 2019 book “Triggered.” The RNC Paid $94,800 to the bookseller a week before it went on sale, and later said it raised more than $500,000 from the book sales, according to the New York Times. The book rose to the top of Amazon book rankings before the RNC’s bulk purchase.
For his book “Liberal Privilege,” Trump Jr. self-published instead of going through a publisher.