Make America Number 1

{{Short description|Republican super PAC launched for 2016 campaigns}}

Make America Number 1 is a right-wing super PAC (political action committee) that supported the presidential campaigns of Ted Cruz and Donald Trump in the 2016 United States presidential election. During the primary campaign, the super PAC was known as Keep the Promise I.{{Cite web|url=https://www.democracynow.org/2020/1/10/2020_election_digital_manipulation_cambridge_analytica|title="Democracy For Sale": Cambridge Analytica & Big Tech's History of Manipulating Elections|last=|first=|date=2020-01-10|website=Democracy Now!|language=en|access-date=2020-01-12}} In the general election, it informally termed itself Defeat Crooked Hillary PAC, but was not allowed to officially use this term and chose the name Make America Number 1.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-06-22/new-super-pac-launches-for-donors-who-won-t-back-trump-but-loathe-clinton|title=New Super-PAC Launches for Donors Who Won't Back Trump But Loathe Clinton|last=|first=|date=2016-06-21|website=www.bloomberg.com|access-date=2020-01-12}} The PAC is run by Rebekah Mercer, the second daughter of its largest donor Robert Mercer.{{Cite magazine| last = Elliot| first = Philip| title = Exclusive: Anti-Clinton PAC Adding TV Commercials| magazine = Time| access-date = 2016-11-18| date = 2016| url = https://time.com/4524276/defeat-crooked-hillary-ads/}}

Robert Mercer donated $15.5 million to the PAC during the 2016 campaign; philanthropist Bernard Marcus donated $2 million; and Cherna Moskowitz donated $1 million.{{Cite web|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cmte=C00575373&cycle=2016|title=Keep the Promise I/Make America Number 1 Contributors, 2016 cycle|last=|first=|date=|publisher=|work=OpenSecrets|accessdate=2016-11-18}} As of November 2, it had received a total of $19,586,131 in donations.{{Cite web|url=https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/lookup2.php?cycle=2016&strID=C00575373|title=Keep the Promise I/Make America Number 1 Summary|last=|first=|date=|publisher=|work=OpenSecrets|accessdate=2016-11-18}} Robert Mercer is the fourth-largest contributor to Super PACs in the 2016 cycle.{{Cite news| last1 = Gold| first1 = Matea| last2 = Narayanswamy| first2 = Anu| title = How 10 mega-donors already helped pour a record $1.1 billion into super PACs| newspaper = Washington Post| accessdate = 2016-11-18| date = 2016-10-05| url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-10-mega-donors-already-helped-pour-a-record-11-billion-into-super-pacs/2016/10/05/d2d51d44-8a60-11e6-875e-2c1bfe943b66_story.html}}

Rebekah Mercer has been chair of the PAC since 2015. Its operations were headed by Kellyanne Conway from August 2015 until she was tapped to serve as the Campaign Manager of the Donald Trump campaign in mid-August 2016.Michael Falcone (August 4, 2015) [https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/note-donald-trump-top/story?id=32848309 The Note: Donald Trump on Top] ABC News The PAC also employed Stephen Bannon, who joined the campaign as CEO.{{Cite news| title = Mega-Donor Mercer's Daughter Takes Charge of Pro-Trump Group| work = Bloomberg.com/politics| accessdate = 2016-11-18| date = 2016-09-07| url = https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2016-09-07/mega-donor-mercer-s-daughter-takes-charge-of-pro-trump-group}} After Conway's departure, David Bossie took leadership. He left in September to become Trump's Deputy Campaign Manager, and Rebekah Mercer took over leadership of day-to-day operations.

During the general election the PAC ran anti-Hillary Clinton ads in a $350,000 campaign in Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Make America Number 1 responded to the public release of Donald Trump's conversation with Billy Bush about his treatment of women by stating, "We are completely indifferent to Mr. Trump's locker room braggadocio."{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2016/10/08/gop-mega-donors-robert-and-rebekah-mercer-stand-by-trump/|title=GOP mega-donors Robert and Rebekah Mercer stand by Trump|newspaper=Washington Post|access-date=2016-11-19}}