Trump breaks $100 million promise to his own campaign

Donald Trump reportedly said last month that he was prepared to contribute $100 million to his campaign if necessary. But to date, he has only reported giving about $8,000 to his cash-strapped reelection effort, according to FEC data.

While $8,000 is far less than Trump’s personal campaign spending in 2016, it is more than five times what he contributed in federal income taxes over the past 12 years, according to a New York Times investigation.

Former vice president Joe Biden’s campaign currently enjoys a nearly 3-to-1 cash advantage over Trump, with $177 million in the bank compared to the Trump campaign’s $63 million, Politico reported.

Trump’s reelection campaign scaled back on advertising over the summer, allowing the Biden campaign to gobble up airtime in key swing states in the final weeks of the election.

Last month, Trump told reporters he would personally spend “whatever it takes” to win reelection.

“If we needed any more, I’d put it up personally. Like I did in the primaries last time,” Trump promised.

Trump spent about $66 million of his own money on his 2016 campaign, selling himself in the primaries as “self-funding” and thus not beholden to special interests. In the 2016 general election, Trump flip-flopped and took donations from special interest groups.

This time around, Trump has reported giving just $8,000 to his own reelection campaign. Trump’s fundraising emails, however, paint a very different picture for his supporters.

For months, Trump’s campaign has asked supporters for donations, with the promise that their contributions will be “matched” by as many as seven or eight times their donation amount.

While the fundraising emails don’t explicitly say the match will come from Trump himself, they frequently include images of checks signed by “Your President,” and use language like “he’s authorized a 700%-MATCH.”

Even if he wanted to, it’s unclear whether Trump has $100 million to pour into his campaign. Last month, a New York Times report revealed that Trump personally owes hundreds of millions in debt.

Trump has effectively confirmed the Times’ reporting, while likening his sizable debts to “a peanut.”

“$400 million compared to the assets that I have, all of these great properties all over the world,” Trump told an NBC News town hall last week. “What I’m saying is that it’s a tiny percentage of my net worth.”

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Published with permission of The American Independent Foundation.