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. A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Two other board members are also close associates of Mr. Trump.
One of them is Lee Rizzuto, whom Mr. Trump nominated as the U.S. envoy to Barbados and several Caribbean islands but who saw his chances sink over past social-media posts pushing conspiracy theories about some senators. He ultimately became Mr. Trump’s appointee to lead the U.S. consulate in Bermuda. The other board member, Anthony Lomangino, is a Mar-a-Lago member who ran a waste management company. He donated money to a legal-defense fund during the Trump presidency to help people ensnared in the investigation into whether Mr. Trump and his campaign conspired with Russians.
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 steering 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.
Mr. Trump is still attending events staged by Make America Great Again Inc., including two this week, according to a person familiar with the scheduling.
The new super PAC 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. It is unclear whether any of Mr. Trump’s extended family will decide to support the new group.
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. Their involvement raised a number of concerns for government watchdogs and, after Mr. Trump was out of office, for House Democrats as well. It was one of the focal points at the time of the rocky tenure of the department’s secretary, David J. Shulkin.
