Is America ready for the campaign ad era of Donald Trump‘s presidential run? According to the White House hopeful, those spots are on the way.
The Republican Party’s highest polling candidate of the moment spoke about his strategy to begin spending $2 million a week on ads in primary and caucus states while chatting with reporters on Tuesday. The controversial presidential contender boasted with Trump-like bluster that he’s doing so well that ponying up for ads is more of a precautionary measure than anything.
“When I see a 40, and I see a 12 or a 13 in second, I see no reason to spend,” Trump said of some recent national poll numbers on board his campaign plane. “But I feel I should spend. And honestly, I don’t want to take any chances.”
According to the former NBC TV fixture, his war chest can definitely handle being plucked for ad dough. Trump claims his campaign is $35 million under budget, a declaration that he’s provided to the press and to the roughly five-and-a-half million Twitter followers that keep track of his social media wheelings and dealings. It’s a financial development he credited to not needing campaign ads up to this point.
My campaign for president is $35,000,000 under budget, I have spent very little (and am in 1st place).Now I will spend big in Iowa/N.H./S.C.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 29, 2015
That (alleged) budget surplus could get a major workout if opponents choose to call out Trump in their campaign ads. The 69-year-old billionaire vowed to swing back at any candidates that attacked him in their spots.
“If anybody goes after me I will spend a lot of money against the people that go after me… Well, I’m just saying if somebody attacks me I will attack them very much and very hard in terms of ads.”
We’ll give you a moment to have an extended think about what a Trump attack ad would look like. Come to think of it, you might need to just take the rest of the year off in a bid to wrap your mind around this upcoming prospect.
(via CNN)