Trump's $1.8 billion fund is dead... but an extraordinarily valuable perk for the President and his family quietly survives

By ROSS IBBETSON, ASSOCIATE EDITOR Published: 13:37, 3 June 2026 | Updated: 13:56, 3 June 2026 Donald Trump's $1.8 billion fund for prosecuted MAGA allies is dead after a furious Republican rebellion forced a humiliating White House U-turn.  But for the President and his family, the political disappointment may be far outweighed by a more valuable personal perk which quietly survived. Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche confirmed Tuesday that the part of the IRS settlement shielding Trump, his sons Don Jr and Eric, and their businesses from tax audits still stands.  'Nothing has changed with that,' Blanche said.  Blanche, Trump's former personal attorney, was grilled by lawmakers on the House Appropriations subcommittee over the $1.776 billion fund for the President's political allies prosecuted by the Biden DOJ. 'We're not moving forward with the anti-weaponization fund,' Blanche confirmed, after a surprise ruling Friday reopened Trump's lawsuit against the IRS and threw the settlement, which includes the fund, into doubt.   But while Republicans can rest assured the fund, which could have handed January 6 rioters payouts, is finished, they still face the toxic reality of an extraordinary tax break for Trump and his sons.  The benefit may prove enormous. Trump still faced an unresolved audit into claimed losses on his Chicago tower that could have resulted in a $100 million penalty, according to the New York Times.  Donald and Melania Trump pose for a photo in front of the White House press photographers during the congressional picnic on the South Lawn of the White House on May 19 Don Jr, Ivanka and Eric Trump sat the inaugural ball on January 20, 2025 Trump sued the IRS in January over the leak of his tax records to newspapers in 2020. The settlement struck with his own administration created the 'anti-lawfare' fund and handed him protection from audits on any tax filings made before the order. The order signed by Blanche on May 19 is unprecedented in its scope and form, lawyers say, while others have questioned whether as acting AG, Blanche even has the authority to impose such a constraint on the IRS. When the tax proposal was first ventilated at the DOJ last month, lawyers raised concerns over whether the order would be hamstrung by a law which bars the IRS from dropping audits at the direction of the president or his aides, the New York Times reported. Blanche swatted away lawmakers' questions by attempting to characterize the IRS audit protection as standard of any litigation against the tax agency. 'Like anytime the IRS settles with an individual taxpayer or another company, as part of the settlement, it's standard, it's typical to get rid of past ongoing audits,' Blanche said. 'It's not a forward-looking document. It's nothing that gives any sort of immunity in the future to the president or his family or his organizations.'  The audit shield hands Democrats fresh ammunition as they prepare to scupper a Republican-backed $70 billion funding bill now moving through the Senate.  Democrats plan to force amendments on both the $1.8 billion fund and audit provision as part of any legislation.  The man caught in the middle is Senate Majority Leader John Thune, who refused to declare victory after the fund was frozen and warned his own party still isn't satisfied. Asked whether he feared Trump might veto the bill if it included an amendment banning the fund, Thune told reporters on Monday: 'Oh yeah, don't you?'  The nightmare for Republicans is a barrage of Democratic amendments forcing politically toxic votes just months before the midterms, leaving incumbents who are banking on Trump's endorsement voting for something that may infuriate him.  Even Trump's reliable allies remain troubled. Louisiana Senator John Kennedy, a staunch Trump backer, warned Monday: 'The reconciliation bill looks like a broken arm with the bones sticking out.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.