With one month remaining until election day on November 3, President Donald Trump is directing his enormous war chest into the most competitive congressional districts in the country, as the Republicans' candidates continue to struggle in the 2026 midterm elections. The results will help determine the balance of power in the House of Representatives and the Senate for the last two years of the president's term.

"President Trump's super PAC and affiliates have injected tens of millions of dollars into pivotal Senate and House races just one month from Election Day as the GOP looks to keep control of Congress," The Hill's Caroline Vakil reported on Sunday. Super PACs such as MAGA Inc. are permitted under federal election law to raise unlimited sums from individuals, corporations, and unions, provided their spending remains independent of the candidates they support.

According to Vakil, "Trump's MAGA Inc. and several affiliated groups — No Going Back PAC Inc. and Safety & Affordability PAC Inc. — have reported some of their biggest spending so far in the toss-up Ohio, Texas and Michigan Senate races. They have also spent heavily in a slew of competitive House races in states like Florida, New York, Michigan and Maine." The term "toss-up" is used for districts in which neither party has a clear advantage — the narrow band of constituencies that can determine which party controls the respective chamber.

"Political observers and candidates alike are keeping a close eye on Trump's immense war chest and where he will spend next," she continued. "As of late August, MAGA Inc. had $415 million on hand, and the president has pledged to spend between $400 million and $500 million in the midterms."

The gap between the amounts Trump has raised for congressional candidates and the comparatively small portion he has spent so far has raised the question of where the money ultimately ends up. In the coming weeks, disclosures to the Federal Election Commission will detail how much of this total has been spent — and where.

Criticism from a Former Insider

Anthony Scaramucci, who served as Trump's communications director, told AlterNet in September that the president views the office as a profit-making enterprise rather than public service.

"I think his endgame is to see if he can make another $10 to $20 billion for himself and then pardon himself and his family members. I think that's his endgame," Scaramucci told AlterNet. "I don't think he has a policy endgame. I don't think he cares a wick about any person that voted for him or even anybody in America. He certainly would like to leave some monuments to himself in Washington. I don't think he'll be successful in knocking down the Kennedy Center. He'll certainly be successful at building that ballroom. It'll remain indeterminate about the Trump arc, the triumph."

He added: "But Trump wants to name things after himself, he wants to make money and he wants attention. So look to see those people restored to the White House, Politico, CNN. He'll have to get them restored because they cut his air supply off. Even though he supposedly hates the journalists, he wants them there so he can get eyeballs and attention. But that's it. He doesn't have a policy endgame. He doesn't care about any of that stuff."

Money and Politics

Questions about the role of money in Trump's political apparatus precede the current spending spree. In July, a report raised the possibility that the president is directly shaping his policies based on campaign donations.

"Meredith O'Rourke, nicknamed 'princess of darkness,'" helps Trump shape policies through his donors' contributions, The Wall Street Journal Josh Dawsey, Dana Mattioli, Annie Linskey, and Emily Glazer reported.

"Trump asks O'Rourke which companies and donors have cut checks and which haven't, and for how much," the journalists continued. "He often asks her to make much larger financial requests than she was planning — for some donors the ask is $5 million, for others it is $50 million. And the president gives her names to call, often including people who have recently met with him, according to people with knowledge of the calls."