A $650,000 "
charitable contribution" former President Donald Trump's political action committee made to the Smithsonian Institution will help fund portraits of Donald and Melania Trump for the National Portrait Gallery, a Smithsonian official confirmed to Insider.
The contribution, which Trump's Save America PAC disclosed without explanation in a Federal Election Commission filing Saturday, will "support the artists' fees, shipping, framing, installation, and events," Linda St. Thomas, a Smithsonian spokesperson, said.
"Two artists have been commissioned, one for each portrait. The names will be released closer to the reveal of the paintings," St. Thomas said. "The creation of the portraits is underway. The timing of the artworks' reveal not determined yet."
Save America PAC's $650,000 contribution came to the National Portrait Gallery as a wire transfer on July 14, St. Thomas said.
She added that "one additional private donation" — she did not specify the amount or source, beyond saying it's "a family" — is also helping fund the portraits.
"We cannot give out name of a donor without telling them first, so that's on hold," she said.
St. Thomas noted that "all portraits of presidents at the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery are paid for with private funds raised by the museum."
Representatives for Trump did not respond to requests for comment.
The Save America PAC — Trump's flagship post-presidency political committee — reported
more than $99 million cash on hand through July 31.
Save America has engaged in almost nonstop email and text-message fundraising since shortly after Trump left the White House, with hundreds of thousands of Trump supporters combining to contribute tens of millions of dollars.
At times, the fundraising messages have been decidedly aggressive and
deceptive, with a recent text solicitation suggesting that there were problems with recipients'
voting registrations — and that they must click a link and take action.
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