# Trump is raising funds? I thought he was going to self-fund **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [May 11, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575 "2016-05-11T21:20:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/1 "2016-05-11T21:20:00Z")
When he first announced that he was running, Donald Trump constantly reminded us that he would be paying for his campaign from his vast fortune, so he wouldn’t be relying on contributors. And that this meant that (unlike other candidates) he wouldn’t owe any favors to big-money donors. For a while, he held firm. I remember him angrily closing down a booth at one of his events that was soliciting donations. Then I started hearing that he would accept donations. I assumed that he would limit the size of the donations (like Ralph Nader and Jerry Brown did). This would keep with the spirit of keeping big money from influencing him - you can’t expect a presidential candidate to do you a favor for a $100 contribution. But now [he’s seeking funds from the same big money donors he once raked over the coals.](http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/10/politics/donald-trump-gop-donors/index.html) And not getting many offers - gee, insulting people doesn’t win their support? Who-da thunk it? Did he lie about having enough money to finance his campaign? I understand that a person can be worth billions without having a lot of liquid assets. (FWIW his supposedly-former adviser Roger Stone claimed last year that Trump had $750 million in liquid assets ready and available.) If he _has_ the money, I think it’d be a big mistake to reverse himself just to save cash. Trump’s fan club of course won’t care if he goes back on his promise to self-fund. But he can’t win in November with the support of just the fan club. He’ll need people who respond rationally to the ‘cleaned up’ Trump that he keeps promising to show us. And one of Trump’s best bets in wresting those voters from Hillary Clinton is his supposed outsider status, which would be considerably diluted if he ignores his self-funding promise. Assuming I’ve got my facts right as far as what Trump’s said about his plans for paying for his campaign, has anyone in the media confronted him about this reversal? Or at least addressed it? ---
**Author:** ![drad\_dog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@drad\_dog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drad_dog)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/2 "2016-05-11T21:46:52Z")
Trump only has a couple hundred million. He was lying about his wealth just like everything else. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 9:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/3 "2016-05-11T21:54:12Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Trump only has a couple hundred million. He was lying about his wealth just like everything else. I don’t think anyone knows for certain about the first but I would put the odds _very_ high on the second. After all, part of his valuation is how much he feels his name is worth at any particular moment. I predict his worth will be near zero post Election Day. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/4 "2016-05-11T22:36:47Z")
> [@drad\_dog](#): > > Trump only has a couple hundred million. He was lying about his wealth just like everything else. And, according to a story I just heard on BBC News, he’s apparently said that he is not going to release his tax return info publicly before the election. This, too, points to him not wanting to make public any actual financial information about himself. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2016, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/5 "2016-05-11T22:46:12Z")
I heard [this story](http://www.npr.org/2016/05/04/476783557/donald-trump-shifts-to-fundraising-after-loaning-his-campaign-38-million) on NPR. > [@](#): > > Donald Trump likes to say he is self-funding his campaign. That isn’t entirely true. He has actually lent his campaign about three-quarters of the $49 million or so that he has spent so far. > > That means the campaign can pay him back if it has the money. But there’s a deadline. Trump has 11 weeks to repay himself — exactly at the moment when he needs to pivot and start raising cash for the general election campaign. ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/6 "2016-05-12T18:33:39Z")
What will be really fun is when Trump wants to start raiding the RNC coffers to pay back the $49 million in loans he made to himself. Imagine… Paul Ryan could be the only thing keeping the RNC from bankruptcy. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_Ace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/6bbea6/32.png) [@Johnny\_Ace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_Ace)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/7 "2016-05-12T18:49:29Z")
> [@JohnT](#): > > What will be really fun is when Trump wants to start raiding the RNC coffers to pay back the $49 million in loans he made to himself. Imagine… Paul Ryan could be the only thing keeping the RNC from bankruptcy. 🙂 Reince Priebus is the chairman of the RNC. Ryan is only chairman of the convention, unless Trump asks him to step down. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/8 "2016-05-12T18:52:08Z")
I believe he’s admitted to the fact that self-funding his presidential run (not Republican nominee run) is going to be too expensive to shoulder himself and he’ll be relying on external funding. Which is why he may be starting to temper his rhetoric and getting more in line with more mainstream Republican party talking points. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/9 "2016-05-12T18:55:22Z")
He has mainly self funded his primary campaign but I believe stated earlier that he will be raising money for the general. Hillary Clinton is expected to spend about $1 billion on her campaign, Trump will need to raise money to compete with that. However, it is predicted that Trump can get half of that in small donations, and the other half in large contributions in excess of $1 million each that he can raise on a no-promises basis from his rich friends. I think the latter part is not quite so easy though, he has friends who can afford that, but those amounts aren’t easy to get by just asking friends to do him a solid. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/10 "2016-05-12T19:04:03Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > I heard [this story](http://www.npr.org/2016/05/04/476783557/donald-trump-shifts-to-fundraising-after-loaning-his-campaign-38-million) on NPR. Interesting story. So, the donors he’s courting now can contribute up to $333,400, every year. To be fair, that’s not really a lot of money in presidential politics. But it’s more money than most of Trump’s base will see in their lives. The Clinton campaign will have a field day ridiculing his claim to be one of the Untouchables. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/11 "2016-05-12T19:07:16Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He has mainly self funded his primary campaign but I believe stated earlier that he will be raising money for the general. **Hillary Clinton is expected to spend about $1 billion on her campaign, Trump will need to raise money to compete with that.** However, it is predicted that Trump can get half of that in small donations, and the other half in large contributions in excess of $1 million each that he can raise on a no-promises basis from his rich friends. I think the latter part is not quite so easy though, he has friends who can afford that, but those amounts aren’t easy to get by just asking friends to do him a solid. Pocket change to someone as rich as he is. ---
**Author:** ![purplehearingaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/7bcc69/32.png) [@purplehearingaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehearingaid)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/12 "2016-05-12T19:14:33Z")
He refuses to show his tax refund , there has a to be a reason for this . It looks like he trying to hide something. I wonder who get all the money for all clothes with his name on it and were is all of it going . ---
**Author:** ![JohnT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnt/32/15048_2.png) [@JohnT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnT)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/13 "2016-05-12T19:17:14Z")
> [@Johnny\_Ace](#): > > Reince Priebus is the chairman of the RNC. Ryan is only chairman of the convention, unless Trump asks him to step down. :smack: That’s right. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/14 "2016-05-12T19:31:45Z")
> [@TriPolar](#): > > He has mainly self funded his primary campaign but I believe stated earlier that he will be raising money for the general. Hillary Clinton is expected to spend about $1 billion on her campaign, Trump will need to raise money to compete with that. However, it is predicted that Trump can get half of that in small donations, and **the other half in large contributions in excess of $1 million each that he can raise on a no-promises basis from his rich friends.** I think the latter part is not quite so easy though, he has friends who can afford that, but those amounts aren’t easy to get by just asking friends to do him a solid. So now he _is_ going to take million-dollar-plus donations. But he’s giving us his word that he won’t be corrupted by them, unlike the establishment politicians he’s railed against. Are people really that gullible? I guess we’ll find out in November. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/15 "2016-05-12T19:40:34Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > So now he _is_ going to take million-dollar-plus donations. > > But he’s giving us his word that he won’t be corrupted by them, unlike the establishment politicians he’s railed against. > > Are people really that gullible? is that like asking any person who has ever been down-sized to believe that some scumbag whose ONLY claim to fame is the phrase “You’re Fired!” will love them and protect their interests? ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/16 "2016-05-12T20:45:08Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > So now he _is_ going to take million-dollar-plus donations. > > But he’s giving us his word that he won’t be corrupted by them, unlike the establishment politicians he’s railed against. > > Are people really that gullible? I guess we’ll find out in November. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the craziest, nuttiest, stupidest things Trump has said, I’d rate this one at a 5 or 6. ---
**Author:** ![F.U.Shakespeare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/aca169/32.png) [@F.U.Shakespeare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/F.U.Shakespeare)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/17 "2016-05-12T21:43:22Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the craziest, nuttiest, stupidest things Trump has said, I’d rate this one at a 5 or 6. Of the things Trump has \*done \*that will influence the voters he needs to win in November, I’d rate it higher. ---
**Author:** ![Locrian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/locrian/32/14146_2.png) [@Locrian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Locrian)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2016, 10:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/18 "2016-05-12T22:16:34Z")
He’s had a “donate now” button to click on his campaign website since it was created. So he’s self-funding AND he’ll take your money too. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 1:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/19 "2016-05-15T01:23:41Z")
> [@F.U.Shakespeare](#): > > Interesting story. > > So, the donors he’s courting now can contribute up to $333,400, every year. To be fair, that’s not really a lot of money in presidential politics. But it’s more money than most of Trump’s base will see in their lives. The Clinton campaign will have a field day ridiculing his claim to be one of the Untouchables. Dream on. Unlimited contributions can legally be given to foundations to be distributed to other foundations to launder the money to remove donor origins, and then given without limit to campaigns. Adelson (his primary donor at this point) is part of the cabal that includes the Kochs, Scaiff and others whose stated main goal is to do away with all government business regulations, along with all watchdog agencies like OSHA and the EPA, and to eliminate corporate taxes. Both sides can now do this, but the agendas are vastly different. ---
**Author:** ![China\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/779978/32.png) [@China\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/China_Guy)\ **Post date:** [May 15, 2016, 4:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575/20 "2016-05-15T04:32:17Z")
Trump likely doesn’t have anywhere near the unencumbered wealth that he claims. And he’s not going to drop a billion on self funding his run for President. Shessh, the guy is in real estate and the name of the game is to use other people’s money… [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/trump-is-raising-funds-i-thought-he-was-going-to-self-fund/754575.md?page=2)