Trump leans on small donors as wealthy givers pull back
By Matea Gold and Anu Narayanswamy October 28 at 6:08 PM
A steep drop in support from wealthy donors has left Donald Trump dependent on small-dollar contributors in the final stretch of the 2016 race, creating an acute cash gap that could hurt down-ticket Republicans fighting for their political lives.
Supporters sent the GOP presidential nominee contributions of $200 or less at a faster clip this month than they did in September. But the businessman was still vastly outraised by Democratic rival Hillary Clinton because of tepid backing from those who write big checks, new campaign finance reports show.
The number of six-figure contributions flowing to a joint fundraising committee that benefits the Republican Party fell sharply in the first 19 days of October, with just 34 donors giving $100,000 or more, down from 167 in September. A dozen pro-Trump super PACs together raised just about $2 million. And the candidate himself gave less than $31,000 to his campaign during that period, leaving him nowhere close to the $100 million or more that he has repeatedly claimed he will spend to finance his White House run.
On Friday, Trump scrambled to combat the perception that he was holding back resources, saying he was wiring his campaign $10 million, as the Wall Street Journal first reported. But he also declined to confirm that his donations would end up reaching $100 million, telling Fox News, “We’ll see what’s needed.”
-snip-
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-leans-on-small-donors-as-wealthy-givers-pull-back/2016/10/28/87ba7e64-9d1e-11e6-9980-50913d68eacb_story.html