Trump sells $10 million jet to MAGA megadonor amid steep legal fees: report
Donald Trump's legal troubles have left him with hundreds of millions of dollars in fees and, despite how wealthy he claims to be, the ex-president is depending on Republican National Committee (RNC) donors to help ease the financial stress.
In March, the New York Times reported:
Trump has averaged more than $90,000 a day in legal-related costs for more than three years — none of it paid for with his own money.
Instead, the former president has relied almost entirely on donations made in an attempt to fight the results of the 2020 election.
Now, those accounts are nearly drained, and Mr. Trump faces a choice: begin to pay his own substantial legal fees or find another way to finance them.
READ MORE: Trump’s 'substantial legal bills' catch up with him as trial drags on: experts
The Daily Beast reported Monday that MAGA megadonor Mehrdad Moayedi has purchased the former president's $10 million jet.
The "Iranian-American construction and development tycoon" who owns Centurion American Custom Homes, the Beast reports, in 2019 and 2020 "gave a combined $245,000 to Trump Victory—a committee that raised money for the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and state GOP parties—sending the maximum allowable $5,600 contribution to the campaign," according to federal campaign finance data.
Per the news outlet, "Federal Aviation Administration records show that on May 13, the aircraft’s registration changed from the Trump Organization’s DT Air Corp to a Texas entity called MM Fleet Holdings LLC. State records tie that company to Mehrdad Moayedi, an Iranian-American construction and development tycoon who lives near Dallas and runs Centurion American Custom Homes."
The Beast also notes that Moayedi has donated "hundreds of thousands of dollars" to other Republican candidates and lawmakers, like former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley and US Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX).
READ MORE: 'Huge loophole': Trump-appointed FEC officials make it easier for RNC to pay his legal fees
The Daily Beast's full report is here (subscription required).