Trump’s campaign advisers earned over $1.6M from Albania’s opposition — and lost

A New York Times investigation has revealed that senior advisers from Donald Trump’s presidential campaigns were paid over $1.6 million by Albania’s Democratic Party (DP) to consult during the 2025 parliamentary elections — a campaign that ended in a resounding defeat. The article, which names Chris LaCivita, Tony Fabrizio, and Paul Manafort, has sparked new scrutiny inside Albania over political spending, strategy, and transparency within the opposition.

Why is this important: The report comes days after Albania’s Central Election Commission (CEC) released official campaign finance disclosures. Despite being in opposition, the DP topped all parties in total spending, but the revelation that more than 200 million ALL (approx. $1.62 million) went to Trump-linked American consultants, for a campaign that ended in total failure, is already raising political and public backlash.

Context: According to the NYT, LaCivita’s firm, Advancing Strategies, received the bulk of the payments (approx. €1.4 million) across four transfers in under four months. Pollster Tony Fabrizio was paid roughly $65,000. Manafort’s role remains less formally defined, but the article suggests he worked with the team to reframe Sali Berisha — a former prime minister under U.S. sanctions — as a political victim in the style of Trump.

They tried to position Berisha as an anti-establishment figure, echoing Trump’s narrative of being targeted by deep-state actors, George Soros and the Biden administration, the article notes.

In Albania, the strategy did little to sway voters. The DP suffered one of its worst electoral showings in years, losing heavily to Edi Rama’s Socialist Party. A post-election recount failed to support PD claims of election manipulation.

What else: The article has reignited internal debate over DP’s financial priorities and lack of results. Though political consulting from abroad is not illegal, the scale of the payments, their concentration in a short window, and the lack of public disclosure until CEC filings have fueled speculation about donor influence, strategy decisions, and internal PD governance.

What they are saying: Berisha, who remains under SPAK investigation and subject to U.S. sanctions for alleged corruption, has not commented on the article. The Democratic Party has not yet issued a formal response to the revelations.