Donald Trump has famously declared “I’m self-funding my own campaign. It’s my money.”
The declaration is the basis of much of his support. Trump followers are convinced that he is the one candidate who is not beholding to special interest groups.
But is Trump really self-financed? The answer is “sort of, but not quite.”
Trump’s self-financing accounts for $26.7 million, or 71% of his campaign money so far, according to his FEC filings. Nearly half of this money, $12.6 million, has come in the form of loans from Trump to his campaign. These loans imply that he hopes to be repaid by the campaign by Election Day.
$2.7 million of Trump’s campaign payments have been made for services rendered by Trump-affiliated companies. Much of this money is related to Trump’s travel in his personal jet.
Non-Trump donors account for 28 percent of Trump’s campaign finances.
In addition, a pro-Trump Super PAC, Make America Great Again, has raised $1,732,684 for ads promoting Trump.
So is Trump’s campaign self-financed? As with many financial questions, the answer is “it depends upon how you count it.”
Below are the facts and figures.
Trump Fundraising Details
| Campaign Committee | Outside Groups | Combined | |
| Total Raised | $34,740,678* | $1,968,261 | $36,708,939 |
| Total Spent | $33,399,873** | $1,807,803 | $35,207,676 |
| Cash on Hand | $1,340,805 | $160,458 | $1,501,263 |
| Debts | $24,384,058 | – | – |
| Date of Report | February 29, 2016 | March 21, 2016 | – |
*Includes $12.6 million in loans from Trump
**Includes $2.7 million in payments to Trump-affiliated companies for services, including his private jet
Source of Funds
| Individual Contributions – Small Individual Contributions – Large Individual Contributions |
$9,527,020 $7,201,692 (21%) $2,325,327 (7%) |
(27%) | |
| Candidate self-financing (inc. loans from Trump) | $24,666,434 | (71%) | |
| Other | $547,224 | (2%) |
Source: Center for Responsive Politics
