Donald Trump, the eccentric candidate that has taken American politics by storm, has made the decision to receiving funding for his election.
Prior to this decision, Trump’s campaign was almost entirely self-funded, now his intake of cash has surged with the donations he’s been receiving. A lot of that money, however, has been spent quite poorly, especially if you compare it to Hillary Clinton’s expenditures.
According to the Washington Post, it’s estimated that Trump has kept nearly $7.7 million of the campaign’s expenditures. Trump was able to do this by charging gratuitous amounts of money for rent at his Trump Tower campaign headquarters. In the course of five months, Trump went from spending $35,458 to $169,758 in rent despite the fact that campaign employees and staff dropped from 197 to 172.
Not only has Trump’s properties received thicker paychecks, but according to Huffington Post, Trump’s golf courses and restaurants have also earned an increase. F.E.C. records tell us that they’ve earned a total of $260,000. Just last month, Trump’s campaign spent $495,000 on an air travel company that Trump owns.
Moreover the campaign paid Eric Trump’s winery almost $5,000 and was subsequently reimbursed nearly $20,000 in travel costs.
As of right now, Trump has raised $346.3 million and has so-far spent 71 per cent of that money. Most of it has gone toward television advertising and manufacturing those iconic “Make America Great Again” hats.
There are many reports of Trump’s poorly allocated expenditures. USA Today, reported that Trump has a staff of 82, while Clinton boasts a staff of 700. Not only that, but Trump has spent $1.8 million on hats, while only spending $500,000 on pay roll, according to the Wall Street Journal.
In contrast, Clinton has raised a total of $684.3 million and has spent 93 per cent of that money raised. She’s geared much of the money toward Television ad space and field organizers getting out the vote. Whereas Clinton spent $61 million between Jun and July on television ads, Trump has spent only $4.8 million.
Trump is still new to the race and was unexpectedly thrashed into the role as a presidential candidate. His inexperience has shown significantly in how his team has decided to spend the money.
If Trump is serious about moving forward in the race, he’s going to have to stop funnelling money into his real estate empire and start using that money to capture more votes. Though, despite not spending enough on television ads and voter sympathy, he’s still managed to garner significant support.
Media outlets alone are providing Trump with the attention he needs. And best of all, he hasn’t spent a dime.
