Despite Repeated Claims, Trump Now Won’t Commit To Spending $100M

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump raises his fist during a campaign rally, Thursday, Oct. 13, 2016, in Cincinnati. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
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For the past month, Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed that he will personally contribute more than $100 million to his own campaign by Election Day, but now Trump will not commit to reaching that goal.

“We’ll see what’s needed,” Trump told Fox News’ Bret Baier when discussing whether he’s meet his pledge to spend $100 million of his own money in an interview set to air Friday evening.

Trump had been boasting that he would donate $100 million by the end of the election cycle. But according to FEC reports filed Thursday night, Trump only donated about $31,000 to his campaign in the first half of October, bringing his total contributions to a little over $56 million.

The most recent FEC filing covers through Oct. 19. So in the three weeks between then and the election, Trump will have to cough up somewhere in the neighborhood of 75 percent of the total he’s given for the whole campaign to reach his $100 million vow. Again, roughly $44 million in about three weeks.

Trump told Baier that he plans to write a $10 million check to his campaign on Friday, but that would still fall short of his lofty $100 million pledge.

TPM found at least six times Trump has projected spending $100 million of his own money on the campaign over the course of the past month:

On ABC’s “Good Morning America”

“I mean, look, I’m going to be in for over $100 million,” Trump said on “Good Morning America” on Wednesday Oct. 26.

When host George Stephanopoulos noted that Trump had only spent about $56 million, Trump insisted that he’s spent more.

“Well, no, it’s $61 million,” Trump replied. “But I’m spending a lot of money. And that doesn’t include everything. I’m spending a lot of money.”

On CNN Outside His D.C. Hotel

“I will have over $100 million in the campaign, and I’m prepared to go much more than that,” Trump told CNN’s Dana Bash on Wednesday, Oct. 26 in an interview outside his new hotel in Washington, D.C.

At A Campaign Rally In North Carolina

“It matters to me if we win or lose. I’ll have over $100 million of my own money in this campaign,” Trump said at a rally in Fletcher, North Carolina, on Oct. 21 while mulling the prospect of losing the presidential race.

At A Rally In Colorado

“Remember, by the time this ends…,” Trump told the crowd at a rally in Colorado on Oct. 18. “I will have spent over $100 million on this campaign. Hillary has spent nothing. She gets all her money from the special interest and donors. My interest is you.”

At The Second Presidential Debate

“Now Hillary mentioned something about contributions. Just so you understand, so I will have, in my race, more than 100 million put in of my money. Meaning I’m not taking all of this big money from all of these different corporations like she’s doing. What I ask is this. I’m putting in more – by the time it is finished, I’ll have more than 100 million dollars invested,” Trump said at the second presidential debate held on Oct. 9. “Pretty much self-funding mine, we’re raising money for the Republican party and we’re doing tremendously under small donations, $61 average or so.”

At A Rally In Michigan

“And by the way – I’m spending a lot of money on my campaign and why isn’t she spending some money on hers?” Trump asked the crowd at a rally in Novi, Michigan, on Sept. 30. “I’m spending $100 million. I think I’ll go over $100 million dollars.”

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