America First Policies#America First Action Super PAC

America First Policies was founded by several people, including Nick Ayers, a Republican consultant who is regarded as Mike Pence's top political adviser;{{cite news|last1=Thrush|first1=Glenn|title=On Senate Health Bill, Trump Falters in the Closer's Role|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/us/health-care-bill-trump-pence.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=June 27, 2017|access-date=December 23, 2017|first2=Jonathan|last2=Martin}} Rick Gates; and Brad Parscale.{{cite web|url=https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2018/05/15/after-ushering-the-trump-circus-into-the-white-house-brad-parscale-is-turning-his-megaphone-on-san-antonio|title=After Ushering the Trump Circus Into The White House, Brad Parscale Is Turning His Megaphone on San Antonio|first=Sanford|last=Nowlin|publisher=|access-date=2019-10-31|archive-date=2020-06-07|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607030256/https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2018/05/15/after-ushering-the-trump-circus-into-the-white-house-brad-parscale-is-turning-his-megaphone-on-san-antonio|url-status=dead}}

In 2017, Brian O. Walsh was hired to oversee the group's day-to-day operations after the group experienced high staff turnover.{{cite news |last1=Isenstadt |first1=Alex |last2=Goldmacher |first2=Shane |title=Pro-Trump outside group taps veteran GOP strategist for day-to-day operations |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/brian-walsh-america-first-237330 |access-date=14 October 2022 |work=POLITICO |date=April 18, 2017 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Balcerzak |first1=Ashley |title=Inside Donald Trump's army of super PACs and MAGA nonprofits |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-02-18/inside-donald-trump-s-army-super-pacs-and-maga-nonprofits |accessdate=28 March 2020 |agency=The Center for Public Integrity |publisher=Public Radio International |date=18 February 2019}}

Trump presidential campaign donor Rebekah Mercer disagreed with Parscale about the direction of America First Policies. According to investigative journalist Vicky Ward, Mercer wanted America First Policies' data engine to be Cambridge Analytica, which would have effectively given her organizational control and potentially influence over the Republican Party. According to Ward, if Mercer had control over the organization's database and the money, Mercer could have theoretically led the organization to sway the president's supporters against the president.{{cite news|url=http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/mercers/|title=The Blow-It-All-Up Billionaires|work=HuffPost|accessdate=May 22, 2017|first=Vicky|last=Ward|author-link=Vicky Ward|date=March 17, 2017}} Parscale aggressively sought to establish himself as leader of the group and commented in an early meeting that although he meant "no disrespect" to the Mercer family, the focus of America First Policies ought to be on Donald Trump and his political movement, rather than on the Mercers.{{cite news |last1=Goldmacher |first1=Shane |title=Trump advisers spar over new political arm |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/donald-trump-nonprofit-group-232798 |accessdate=28 March 2020 |agency=Politico |date=19 December 2016}}{{cite news |last1=Goldmacher |first1=Shane |title=Trump's political group plagued by power struggle |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-agenda-america-first-235983 |accessdate=28 March 2020 |agency=Politico |date=13 March 2017}}

In June 2017, Republican Senator Dean Heller was targeted by the America First Policy Institute with an advertising campaign over his opposition to the Obamacare repeal bill. Heller was considered to be vulnerable in the 2018 election, which he ultimately lost to Democratic challenger Jacky Rosen.{{cite news|url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/23/pro-trump-group-to-target-gop-sen-heller-over-health-care-bill-239911|title=Pro-Trump group to target GOP Sen. Heller over health care bill|last1=Nussbaum|first1=Matthew|date=June 23, 2017|work=Politico|access-date=December 23, 2017|last2=Isenstadt|first2=Alex}}

In May 2018, a CNN review of his Twitter account found that John Loudon, a former Missouri State Senator who briefly served as a policy advisor for America First Policies,{{cite news |last1=Gardner |first1=Amy |last2=Crites |first2=Alice |title=Secret donors and Trump allies: Inside the operation to push noncitizen voting laws in Florida and other states |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/secret-donors-and-trump-allies-inside-the-operation-to-push-noncitizen-voting-laws-in-florida-and-other-states/2019/07/21/e0604e2e-a359-11e9-b8c8-75dae2607e60_story.html |access-date=15 October 2022 |newspaper=Washington Post |date=July 22, 2019}} had used inflammatory and derogatory language against women, Muslims, and Democrats.{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/21/politics/kfile-john-loudon-tweets/index.html|title=Policy adviser for Trump-linked group called Obama 'Islamchurian candidate,' joked about 'crack whore Dem voter'|first1=Nathan|last1=McDermott|first2=Andrew|last2=Kaczynski|first3=Chris|last3=Massie|work=CNN|access-date=May 21, 2018|date=May 21, 2018}}

In June 2018, Juan Pablo Andrade, a policy advisor for America First Policies and America First Action PAC, was fired from both groups after a video surfaced of him praising Nazis.{{cite news |last1=Kaczynski |first1=Andrew |title=Adviser under fire for pro-Nazi comments 'let go' from pro-Trump groups |url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/14/politics/kfile-adviser-let-go-from-pro-trump |access-date=15 October 2022 |work=CNN |date=14 June 2018 |language=en}}

After its founding, America First Policies sought but failed to receive seed funding from American heiress and Republican donor Rebekah Mercer.{{Cite web|date=2017-03-07|title=Is Katrina Pierson Actually Doing Anything? {{!}} Washingtonian (DC)|url=https://www.washingtonian.com/2017/03/07/katrina-pierson-what-is-she-doing/|access-date=2021-07-06|website=Washingtonian|language=en-US}}

In May 2018, MapLight reported that CVS Health, Dow Chemical, and the Southern Company had donated a combined $1.6{{nbsp}}million (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=1600000|start_year=2018}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) to America First Policies.{{Cite web|url=https://maplight.org/story/southern-co-cvs-dow-chemical-funding-trump-dark-money-group-tied-to-racist-anti-semitic-views/|title=Southern Co., CVS, Dow Chemical Funding Trump Dark Money Group Tied to Racist, Anti-Semitic Views|website=maplight.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-02}}{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/01/politics/kfile-cvs-trump-advocacy-group/index.html|title=CVS Health and Dow Chemical will no longer donate to pro-Trump advocacy group|author1=Andrew Kaczynski |author2=Chris Massie |author3=Nathan McDermott|work=CNN|access-date=2018-06-02}} After MapLight's report was published, CVS Health and Dow Chemical announced that they would not contribute more money to America First Policies, citing racist comments by the organization's staff. In March 2018, Carl Higbie had become the director of advocacy for America First Policies. He resigned from his position in June 2018 after CVS Health and Dow Chemical announced they would no longer contribute to the group in part due to Higbie's past comments.{{cite news |last1=Kaczynski |first1=Andrew |last2=Massie |first2=Christopher |title=Carl Higbie, who left Trump administration over racist comments, resigns from Trump-aligned group|url=https://www.cnn.com/2018/06/08/politics/carl-higbie-america-first-policies |access-date=15 October 2022 |work=CNN |date=8 June 2018 |language=en}}{{cite news |last1=Cummings |first1=William |title=Ex-Trump official Carl Higbie defends racist remarks that led to his resignation |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/onpolitics/2018/05/01/pence-attends-event-group-hired-ex-trump-official-ousted-racist-remarks/571176002/ |access-date=15 October 2022 |work=USA TODAY |date=May 1, 2018}}

{{infobox organization

| name = America First Action

| type = Super PAC

| status = 527 organization

| logo =

| alt =

| tax_id = 82-1167449

| leader_name = TBA

| leader_title = Chair

| leader_name2 = Brian O. Walsh

| leader_title2 = President

| founded = {{Start date and age|2017|04|12}}

| website = {{URL|https://www.a1apac.org/}}

}}

In the 2016 and 2018 elections, four Trump-related Super PACs received donations from 38 people who gave over $500,000 each. To consolidate these efforts, America First Action was created for 2020. It is the only Trump-related group permitted to collect unlimited donations in 2020. However, as of August 2020, only six of the previous 38 top donors contributed to America First.{{Cite news|last1=Thrush|first1=Glenn|last2=Ruiz|first2=Rebecca R.|last3=Yourish|first3=Karen|date=2020-08-16|title=Trump's Policies Are a Boon to the Super Rich. So Where Are All the Seven-Figure Checks?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/us/politics/trumps-campaign-big-donors.html|access-date=2020-09-08|issn=0362-4331}}

The legally separate America First Action (as opposed to "Policies") Super PAC serves a similar function of promoting Trump's policies under the "America First" theme, but due to its legal status may expressly advocate for the election or defeat of particular candidates (rather than only advocating for policies), and must disclose its donors. Some staff members work for both organizations, such as the chair, president, and communications director, and the two organizations share space and equipment.

In the 2018 midterm election cycle, the Super PAC spent $29{{nbsp}}million.{{cite web |title=Organizations Disclosing Donations to America First Action, 2018 {{!}} OpenSecrets |url=https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib_all.php?cmte=C00637512&type=A&cycle=2018 |website=www.opensecrets.org |accessdate=21 May 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} As of the end of March 2020, it had reported spending $9{{nbsp}}million during the 2020 election cycle.{{cite web |title=Organizations Disclosing Donations to America First Action, 2020 {{!}} OpenSecrets |url=https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib_all.php?cmte=C00637512&type=A&cycle=2018 |website=www.opensecrets.org |accessdate=21 May 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=August 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}

In 2019, $910,000 (~${{Format price|{{Inflation|index=US-GDP|value=910000|start_year=2019}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US-GDP}}) of America First Action's spending went to a company owned by Parscale and his wife.{{cite news |last1=Ward |first1=Vicky |title=Pro-Trump super PAC paid thousands to firm owned by Trump's campaign manager {{!}} CNN Politics |url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/08/30/politics/pro-trump-super-pac-paid-thousands-to-firm-owned-by-brad-parscales-wife |access-date=14 October 2022 |work=CNN |date=30 August 2019 |language=en}}{{cite web | title=Trump PAC paid $$$$ to firm owned by campaign manager's wife | website=The Mercury News | date=2019-08-30 | url=https://www.mercurynews.com/2019/08/30/pro-trump-pac-paid-thousands-to-firm-owned-by-campaign-managers-wife/ | access-date=2021-01-12}}

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Category:Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign

Category:501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations

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Category:2017 establishments in the United States