Brushing aside stories in recent days which have raised questions about funding for his 2020 re-election bid, President Donald Trump told reporters Tuesday that if needed, he would dip into his personal fortune to fund his campaign in coming weeks.
“Yeah, if I have to, I would,” the President told reporters on the tarmac before leaving for campaign stops in Florida and North Carolina. “Whatever it takes - we have to win.”
The comments came a day after a New York Times story which noted high levels of spending by the Trump Campaign.
“But if we needed any more, I would put it up personally, like I did in the primaries last time,” Mr. Trump added, referring to his 2016 race, when he spent upwards of $60 million of his own money.
On whether he'd spend his own money on his re-election campaign amid reports of evaporating fundraising advantage, Pres. Trump says, "If I have to, I would."
— ABC News (@ABC) September 8, 2020
Asked how much he would contribute, the president says, "Whatever it takes. We have to win." https://t.co/JsAo4rBy2e pic.twitter.com/KPULA9qeIN
While Joe Biden’s campaign announced it had raised a staggering $365 million in the month of August, the Trump Campaign has yet to announce its fundraising figures, an unusual silence for the GOP.
The Biden figures were made public on September 2.
In other hints of a possible cash issue, the Trump Campaign has also taken most new television ads off the air, as the Biden Campaign was outspending the President by a 10-to-1 margin in TV ad time in recent weeks.
In speaking with reporters on Tuesday, President Trump did not indicate how much money he might put into his campaign - but Bloomberg News reported it could be upwards of $100 million.
Here's the consequence of Trump losing his fundraising advantage to Biden:
— Mark Murray (@mmurraypolitics) September 8, 2020
The Biden campaign outspent the Trump campaign by $18 million over the airwaves – in the past week.
From this morning's @MTPFirstRead: https://t.co/NIBVPZOXUK pic.twitter.com/8mnQrzVdBB
The financial situation is a big turnaround from earlier this year, when Biden was struggling to raise money, while the President’s campaign was flush with cash.
But in recent months, Democrats have opened their wallets in record amounts.
For example, the $365 million raised in August was not only a monthly record, but it came close to doubling the previous mark set by President Obama.