Donald Trump Adds $10 Million of His Own Money for Advertising

Cash infusion to buy $25 million in TV ads in key battleground states

ENLARGE
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks on stage at a campaign rally in Toledo, Ohio, on Thursday. Photo: Jay LaPrete/AFP/Getty Images



By MONICA LANGLEY and
REBECCA BALLHAUS
Updated Oct. 28, 2016 11:54 a.m. ET61 COMMENTS

Donald Trump, seeking to boost momentum in the last days of the presidential election, wired $10 million of his own money into his presidential campaign Friday morning, two advisers said.

The cash infusion will be used to buy $25 million in new TV advertising in key battleground states, the advisers said. With some polls tightening in recent days, the Republican nominee is determined to pull out a win 11 days from now, one aide said.

Mr. Trump’s cash infusion brings his total contributions to his campaign to $66 million. That includes about $30,000 he gave earlier this month in in-kind contributions, according to a report the campaign filed with the Federal Election Commission on Thursday.

Mr. Trump’s latest donation to his cause still falls $34 million short of the $100 million he has repeatedly said he will give to his campaign—a pledge he reiterated as recently as Wednesday.

The move comes at a critical juncture for Mr. Trump, as he entered the final weeks of the election with about one-fourth as much cash in his campaign coffers as Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Clinton had more than $62 million in the bank as of Oct. 19, compared with Mr. Trump’s $16 million, according to new FEC disclosures.

In addition to Mr. Trump’s personal money, the campaign is receiving strong contributions from small donors, according to one adviser. Since the second presidential debate, online fundraising has grown significantly, hitting $4.6 million Thursday alone, he said.

The new commercials will attack Mrs. Clinton as an insider, alleging that the Clinton family improperly used its government and foundation ties for personal gain, and contrast her with Mr. Trump as being an agent of change, one adviser said. They will air in the key states of Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania and Virginia, he said. The campaign may surprise observers with ads in other states, too, he added.

Who Will Swing the Swing States?





The decision to put more money into TV ad buys follows the Trump campaign’s internal polling, which showed the success of its latest ads attacking Mrs. Clinton.

For the final two weeks of the campaign, Mrs. Clinton had about $48 million of TV advertising booked, while Mr. Trump’s campaign has reserved $36 million, according to a media buyer. Mr. Trump’s ad rate is likely to be higher because he is buying late in the election when competition for ad space is at its peak.

Mr. Trump’s donation on Friday followed a series of emails he has sent to supporters in recent weeks pledging to match their donations. In one such email, from Oct. 1, he pledged to “triple match” donations above $75, writing, “Because this is so important, I am going to extend our triple-match opportunity for the next 24 hours.”

Mrs. Clinton’s cash advantage means she could spend on average $7.6 million per day between Oct. 20 and Election Day. Mr. Trump’s average daily allowance, prior to his latest donation: $3.3 million per day.

This week, Steven Mnuchin, Mr. Trump’s national finance chairman, said the campaign had slowed its high-dollar fundraising operation, run through Trump Victory, his joint fundraising vehicle with the Republican Party that can accept checks of up to $450,000 per person.

The GOP nominee instead will focus mostly on rallies and other campaign events, while a few more fundraisers are planned featuring surrogates, and the campaign will continue to do “informal fundraising,” Mr. Mnuchin said.

Mrs. Clinton also plans to stop attending fundraisers, but has about 40 events lined up featuring her surrogates.

After largely self-funding his primary campaign, Mr. Trump considerably reduced his monthly donations starting in May, when he began actively soliciting outside funds.

He has given about $2 million each month since then, except for June, when he gave close to $4 million. FEC records show his donations—not including Friday’s $10 million—account for about a fifth of all the funds he raised through Oct. 19.

http://www.wsj.com/articles/donald-t...ing-1477669187