A New Pro-Trump Super PAC Has Formed, With Ties to Mar-a-Lago

Politics|A New Pro-Trump Super PAC Has Formed, With Ties to Mar-a-Lago https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/us/politics/trump-super-pac-right-for-america.html The group, Right for America, is being supported by Ike Perlmutter, the billionaire former Marvel mogul and a Mar-a-Lago member. A vendor at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday.Credit…Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times Feb. 23, 2024, 12:35 p.m. ET A […]

A New Pro-Trump Super PAC Has Formed, With Ties to Mar-a-Lago

A New Pro-Trump Super PAC Has Formed, With Ties to Mar-a-Lago thumbnail

Politics|A New Pro-Trump Super PAC Has Formed, With Ties to Mar-a-Lago

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/23/us/politics/trump-super-pac-right-for-america.html

The group, Right for America, is being supported by Ike Perlmutter, the billionaire former Marvel mogul and a Mar-a-Lago member.

Two displays showing American flags with
A vendor at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Thursday.Credit…Haiyun Jiang for The New York Times

Maggie Haberman

A new super PAC supporting former President Donald J. Trump — and backed by a member of his private club, Mar-a-Lago — has emerged with plans to air ads during the presidential general election.

The group, Right for America, is being supported by Ike Perlmutter, the billionaire former chief executive of Marvel Entertainment, and will be led by a Trump ally, Sergio Gor, according to two people briefed on the matter.

It’s unclear how much money the group plans to raise or precisely when it will begin airing ads. Its existence was first reported by Axios.

Mr. Gor declined to comment. A spokesman for Mr. Perlmutter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Trump has blessed the committee in private conversations, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Two other board members are also close associates of Mr. Trump: Lee Rizzuto and Anthony Lomangino.

Wealthy donors often want some level of control over how their money is spent since the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC paved the way for super PACs in 2010. But the existence of the pro-Trump group has already created friction within Mr. Trump’s broader orbit. The main super PAC supporting him, Make America Great Again Inc., has been aggressive for months, including in attacking Mr. Trump’s rival, Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida, last year.

The potential for competing super PACs could raise issues about clashing messages. And Mr. Trump could face questions about his proximity to the people running it, given that Mr. Perlmutter is a member of Mar-a-Lago, where the former president resides and often dines in the presence of members at night. Legally, super PACs and campaigns cannot coordinate strategy.

The group has not yet announced who will serve on the staff. But Mr. Trump has told allies that Mr. Perlmutter’s associates in Hollywood will be involved in making the commercials.

Mr. Gor is close with Mr. Trump’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. Together, they run a publishing entity that printed Mr. Trump’s two post-presidency books.

Mr. Perlmutter has a long history with Mr. Trump, and has often involved himself in the former president’s work. Mr. Perlmutter and two other club members had a hand in shaping policies at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs while Mr. Trump was president.

Maggie Haberman is a senior political correspondent reporting on the 2024 presidential campaign, down ballot races across the country and the investigations into former President Donald J. Trump. More about Maggie Haberman