WASHINGTON — President Trump’s marketing campaign and the Republican Nationwide Committee collectively spent greater than $9 million on polling, di
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s marketing campaign and the Republican Nationwide Committee collectively spent greater than $9 million on polling, digital adverts and charges paid to Trump-owned properties within the final three months of 2019, in keeping with filings with the Federal Election Fee launched on Friday.
The filings element how the Trump marketing campaign, the Trump Victory committee, a 3rd entity referred to as the Trump Make America Nice Once more Committee and the nationwide social gathering committee spent their money from October via the top of December. Collectively, they beforehand reported elevating $154 million over these months, and closed the 12 months with $195 million in money available.
The Trump equipment has raised an outsize sum, nevertheless it has confronted questions on how, precisely, it’s spending its reserves. Although he’s not funding his personal bid this time round, Mr. Trump has repeatedly grilled his advisers about the place and the way they’re spending cash.
In line with a New York Occasions evaluation, the most important expenditure within the remaining three months of the 12 months was on digital promoting. From October to December, the marketing campaign spent greater than $6 million on digital adverts. The T-MAGA committee spent one other $3.2 million on digital adverts.
The marketing campaign additionally spent $525,000 on polling in that interval. The Republican Nationwide Committee spent $2.2 million on polling.
The Trump marketing campaign spent about $194,000 at Trump-owned properties. The filings present that the teams supporting Mr. Trump’s re-election collectively made 150 separate funds to Trump-owned entities and properties, totaling practically $600,000 for the three-month interval, and $1.7 million for the 12 months.
One of many greatest modifications within the final quarter of 2019 was to the compensation of the marketing campaign supervisor, Brad Parscale, whose firm had been paid greater than $16 million via the assorted Trump entities and the nationwide committee final 12 months, in keeping with the filings. However up to now three months, his firm made simply over $200,000 from the 4 committees, a drastic scaling again that got here after scrutiny of how a lot he was making, together with questions raised by Mr. Trump himself.
Marketing campaign officers have mentioned the cash paid to Mr. Parscale’s firm up to now was for worker salaries, they usually have insisted that Mr. Parscale just isn’t pocketing a share of both donations or the advert buys. In addition they famous the sharp discount to the sum of money his firm was bringing in.
“For as a lot transparency as doable, Brad Parscale has severely restricted the pass-throughs going via his agency,” Tim Murtaugh, a marketing campaign spokesman, mentioned in regards to the change. “As has all the time been the case, he’s paid a wage by the marketing campaign and takes no percentages.”
Among the many high candidates vying for the Democratic nomination, Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont raised probably the most cash within the fourth quarter of 2019 ($34.four million) and entered January with probably the most money available ($18.2 million).
Mr. Trump’s spending demonstrates his benefit as an incumbent with no aggressive major race. The Trump marketing campaign was vastly outspent by Michael R. Bloomberg, the billionaire former mayor of New York Metropolis who’s self-financing a marketing campaign. Mr. Bloomberg spent an eye-popping $188 million of his personal cash within the fourth quarter.
The president additionally spent much less within the final quarter then among the top-tier Democratic candidates working extra conventional races, who went on sprees as they tried to interrupt out in a decent major. Mr. Sanders, for instance, spent $50 million final quarter. Over all, the Democratic candidates spent greater than $500 million.
Rachel Shorey and Annie Daniel contributed reporting from Washington, and Thomas Kaplan from Des Moines.