America First Action, the lead White House-backed outside organization supporting President Trump’s agenda, raised nearly $5 million in the first quarter of 2018, according to a filing shared with the Washington Examiner.
Combined with its nonprofit advocacy arm America First Policies, the pair of pro-Trump groups hauled in $13.6 million between January and April, putting them on track to meet last year’s haul of $26 million. Both groups were founded just days after Trump entered the Oval Office.
The latest numbers comes less than a week after President Trump dined with supporters of America First Action at a private residence in Virginia, where several top Trump donors were in attendance.
“President Trump is leading an American comeback, and our donors want to do their part to help keep the momentum going,” America First president Brian Walsh said in a statement to the Washington Examiner.
“They have delivered, just as the President has delivered time and again on his promise to make America great again,” Walsh said.
Veteran Republican operatives have kept a watchful eye on the primary pro-Trump group, which boasts a handful of employees and advisers who remain in close contact with the president. The organization played a major role during the Republican tax push last fall, investing in seven-figure ad buys that targeted GOP lawmakers who were wary of voting for the legislation.
The group has also routinely conducted polls aimed at gauging support for both the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and other elements of the president’s legislative agenda.
One key adviser to the political group, former Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, left to join the president’s re-election campaign late last month. According to its FEC filing, America First also paid more than $45,000 to a firm owned by newly-appointed Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale between January and April for research and consulting work that was executed prior to him being put in charge of Trump’s 2020 bid.
Much like Priorities USA and Organizing for Action, a pair of outside groups that backed President Barack Obama’s agenda throughout his administration, America First has sought to energize the president’s supporters ahead of the midterm elections this fall.
One of the largest contributions made to the America First super PAC this quarter came from casino magnate Stephen Wynn, who contributed $500,000 to the group in mid-January. Wynn stepped down from the helm of his company, Wynn Resorts, following multiple allegations of sexual assault earlier this year.
