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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsTrump's campaign blew almost $1 billion, and now it's in deep trouble
Link to tweet
https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-campaign-spent-1-billion-2020-election-president-politics-finance-2020-9
In the corner office of a nondescript office building in northern Virginia, President Donald Trump's new campaign manager, Bill Stepien, stares at a spreadsheet. What it tells him, in its "Matrix"-like way, is that he is presiding over the worst campaign-finance fiasco in American political history.
Trump launched his reelection effort the same day he was sworn in, January 20, 2017. In the last three-plus years, the campaign has raised and spent nearly $1 billion. One. Billion. Dollars. And now, with six weeks to Election Day, Team Trump finds itself robbing Peter to pay Paul.
How did the reelection campaign of a sitting president end up in this position? Let's run it down.
Money, money, money
Anyone who has run a national campaign knows that the first thing you do every morning and the last thing you do every night is know your cash-on-hand position: what's in the bank, what needs to be paid, what is expected to come in that day, week, and month. Without this information, or at least a general sense of it, it is impossible to craft a coherent campaign strategy and its accompanying tactics.
*snip*
Dr. Jack
(675 posts)It was probably all part of the plan
Pacifist Patriot
(24,647 posts)lame54
(35,142 posts)Have the taxpayers cover your rallys
And the news media gives free air time
SergeStorms
(18,907 posts)for Trump's battalion of lawyers. Republicans wanted to put a criminal in the White House, so they have to pay the price for that somehow.
GopherGal
(1,999 posts)They just embezzled their billion too fast. Gotta learn to pace themselves.
DownriverDem
(6,207 posts)all the trumpers? Why aren't they sending in more money?
jorgevlorgan
(8,232 posts)Cha
(295,929 posts)Hugin
(32,784 posts)Must've been in the double-aughts.
Does anybody seriously believe the Butternut Squat is at all liquid much less wealthy by any measure.
niyad
(112,443 posts)Hugin
(32,784 posts)So sorry.
niyad
(112,443 posts)Hugin
(32,784 posts)scratch & sniff coffee table guide to the Turd Reich isn't such a super idea.
Back to the drawing board.
(Seriously, once and if, an administration comes into office that I actually respect, it's going to be a difficult transition for me.)
niyad
(112,443 posts)approved.
When we have a sane and intelligent administration again, you will find many happier uses for your talents.
Hugin
(32,784 posts)tiny and inadequate fruit it's easy.
What I'm afraid of is a real challenge. One that may even require some thought on my part.
niyad
(112,443 posts)sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)tinrobot
(10,848 posts)KS Toronado
(16,918 posts)reACTIONary
(5,749 posts)Thomas Hurt
(13,903 posts)catbyte
(34,175 posts)NoRoadUntravelled
(2,626 posts)Two more terms = another $2Billion
In addition to seeing his businesses profit in a big way. That's not chump change.
marble falls
(56,371 posts)TheBlackAdder
(28,076 posts)Illumination
(2,458 posts)NewJeffCT
(56,827 posts)free exposure on Fox News, OAN, CNN, Rush LImbaugh & clones, hundreds of RW websites and hundreds more RW newspapers.
Biden can go on MSNBC to offset that, but they don't have the same reach as many I mentioned above. The other networks would give equal time to Trumpy.
He ended up with $4 billion to $5 billion in free media exposure in 2016 and that is not changing this year - Trump is still driving the news coverage.
Lonestarblue
(9,883 posts)And there are very few undecided voters at this stage. I dont think Trump ads would move any voter to his side now, but Biden ads might move some undecideds, especially as the virus continues to spread and the death count grows. So its great that Biden has the money to spend and Trump does not!
I posted the Business Insider article on Facebook and essentially said Hey Trump supporters, this is the man who declared business bankruptcies six times and who has wasted a billion dollars of campaign cash, and you trust him to manage the $428 TRILLION federal budget! Hes wasting tax dollars, too, and doing his best to bankrupt the federal government, too.
Mike 03
(16,616 posts)He claims in 2016 Trump received billions of dollars in free airtime, and from Trump's perspective, it made no difference if the coverage was good or bad, or whether or not he was fact-checked, because they ran clips of him spouting his crap.
NewJeffCT
(56,827 posts)$1.2 billion in free media coverage by the time he wrapped up the nomination, per a Harvard analysis, and that only increased over the next 6 months in the run to the RNC and then the General Election.
Mike 03
(16,616 posts)NewJeffCT
(56,827 posts)that's free coverage right there.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)He was an unknown in 2016. Lots of people watched his made-up business show and thought that he had management chops. What they see, if they dont have their heads up their asses, is a person that screws up everything that he touches, like he has done his whole life.
DeminPennswoods
(15,246 posts)the big sports talk radio station here in Pittsburgh and have already heard 3 Biden ads in the last hour.
dlk
(11,439 posts)What a thing to be best at!
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)with a front-loader.
dlk
(11,439 posts)calimary
(80,700 posts)He squanders it. He squandered his daddy's money. He's squandered investors' money.
How many bankruptcies has it been by now? Five? Six?
That's what he does "for a living." He squanders big loads of money.
Why is anyone surprised?
I'm just glad it's his campaign money this time.
Illumination
(2,458 posts)SUCKER, etc. that has destroyed our country & doesn't have a clue how to
run it...
blueinredohio
(6,797 posts)DSandra
(999 posts)Hekate
(90,202 posts)Mike 03
(16,616 posts)What about all the lawsuits the Trump campaign is filing in a dozen or so states? Is that money coming out campaign coffers?
SleeplessinSoCal
(8,998 posts)It's probably why they relate to him so well. And why they play by no rules. They're basically all a criminal organization now.
Once it was clear Moscow Mitch was aligned with Putin too, we were at war. Not sure who we need as a general. Pelosi is a bit too optimistic for this battle. Joe probably is too. But he's a great figurehead.
Warren is a proper leader for the Senate. And AOC for the House. We need plain talking fighters leading in Congress. We are being dragged into a civil war against our will.
ZenDem
(442 posts)...in the Supreme Court. I'm sure that will cover part of it.
What? Do I sound bitter?
avebury
(10,946 posts)was using it to pay his legal fees.
NoRoadUntravelled
(2,626 posts)to the country.
How very Trump of him.
Butterflylady
(3,523 posts)Bet they'll find most of the money.
peggysue2
(10,811 posts)Trump said he could match Biden's funds with a 10-minute phone call.
Wonder who he had in mind???
Jimbo S
(2,955 posts)I live in suburban Milwaukee. Wisconsin is a swing state. Trump needs the suburbs to turn out for him, that is the Red "X". In 2016 and 2018, there was an enthusiasm gap. Trump ads have all but disappeared from Milwaukee television. Seeing a few third-party ads. Biden ads dominate. The bad cop/good cop ads.
LuvJoesPartner
(89 posts)helpisontheway
(5,004 posts)Botany
(70,295 posts)some Ferrari type cars.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)well.
Cha
(295,929 posts)FRONT, trump vendors. This has been good advice for DECADES!
Interesting article.. TY!
erpowers
(9,350 posts)Somehow the Democrats need to tie Donald Trump's being short on cash after raising about $1 Billion to deficits increasing while Trump has been in office. This should be used to show that Trump is not a good money manager. Even if Trump can blame his campaign management team for the poor money management at the campaign, that also cast doubt on Trump's role as a leader/manager. How is it that Trump keeps hiring people who cannot do their jobs well? The fact that Trump keeps hiring people who cannot management money and who cannot do other jobs, allows someone to argue that Trump is not a good leader and lacks the judgment a leader needs in order to be effective.
This article may also show that the Federal Election Commission (FEC) needs to be tougher. Maybe more vendors need to be made to publicly report the money they get from campaigns. How many people on campaigns are taking far more money than people think from campaigns?
The information in this article may also be why the Biden Campaign seems willing to spend money in additional states. If the Trump Campaign has to spend less in states like Ohio and Arizona, that may mean the Biden Campaign may be able to spend less money in those states and spend a little more money in some other states.