Donald Trump says he's willing to shell out at least $100 million to win the Republican nomination for president – but hasn't spent any of his budgeted $15 million for campaign ads because of all the "free nationwide publicity" he has been receiving,
The New York Times reports.
In an interview with the Times after a Thursday night rally, the real estate billionaire said $100 million would be at the lower end of what he's willing to commit to winning the GOP nomination – a record for self-financing in a presidential contest.
Ross Perot spent more than $63 million on his third-party bid in 1992, according to
Open Secrets, though former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg of New York and Meg Whitman, who lost her bid to become California’s governor, each spent more than $100 million on their campaigns.
If he were the GOP nominee, "the Republican Party will kick in money, the whole party thing will get involved, but still I will spend whatever is necessary," Trump tells the Times.
Trump advisers say he's spent $1.9 million of his own money so far, mostly on campaign staff and expenses for travel and events, the Times reports.
Advisers didn't tell the Times how much is coming in from unsolicited donations and online sales of his trademark campaign baseball hats. When Trump announced his candidacy in June, he said he expected to spend $15 million in TV commercials.
"I’ve gotten so much free advertising, it’s like nothing I’d have expected," he tells the Times. "When you look at cable television, a lot of the programs are 100 percent Trump, so why would you need more Trump during the commercial breaks?"
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