David Drucker of the Washington Examiner explains why some supporters of President Trump question the readiness of his re-election super PAC.
Senior Republican operatives loyal to the White House are deeply unhappy with America First Action, believing Trump’s giant super PAC, so critical to his reelection, is failing on a number of fronts.
America First Action, permitted to raise money in unlimited amounts, is expected to play a crucial role in Trump’s 2020 reelection bid, supplementing the president’s campaign and the Republican National Committee as part of a broad defense against Democratic organizations that could spend more than $1 billion.
Nevertheless, officials concerned with the performance of the big-money group, who requested anonymity to preserve relationships with the president’s inner circle, are hopeful recently installed America First Action Chairwoman Linda McMahon can whip it into shape.
Complaints about the group run the gamut.
Some charge the group should be doing more to shield Trump from the aftershocks of the Russia investigation and the report from special counsel Robert Mueller. Others fault fundraising, saying the group is not paying close enough attention to moderately wealthy Republicans, whose donations collectively are worth millions. Then there are those who claim America First is strategically adrift.
“It’s the president’s super PAC; it should be the biggest player in American politics,” said one GOP insider in Washington. Added another: “It doesn’t feel like they’ve been on the field very effectively over the past six months.”
