President Donald Trump announced Tuesday that he plans to spend more than $400 million on the upcoming midterm elections, calling them the most important in American history and making clear he’s all in for the Republican Party.
Trump made the announcement on Truth Social, tying the decision partly to events overseas. “Because of my belief in the Republican Party, and all of our Policies and Principles, and especially after witnessing what is taking place in France, and other locations throughout Europe, I am pleased to announce that, having to do with the Most Important Midterm Elections in our Country’s History, I have spent, or will be spending, over 400 Million Dollars by Election Day,” he wrote. Nothing says confidence in your agenda like a nine-figure commitment before the polls even open.
Most of that money is already out the door. Trump confirmed that Trump midterm spending announcement more than $300 million has already gone toward “Advertising, Direct and Indirect Voter Contact, Rallies, Rally Arenas, Telerallies, Get Out the Vote Programs, Election Integrity, and more.” The remaining chunk is set to roll out in the final two weeks of the cycle.
Trump closed out his post with a line that has to sting if you’re a Democrat reading it at your laptop while your party argues about what it even stands for anymore. “It is my Great Honor to do so on behalf of the Republican Party, which has done so much to bring our Country back from the Edge of Oblivion,” he wrote. Hard to argue with that, though Democrats will certainly try.
Republicans have generally held a funding advantage throughout this midterm cycle, though they’ve faced some headwinds in translating that cash into polling leads. Four hundred million dollars has a way of making those headwinds feel a little lighter. Democrats, meanwhile, are doing what Democrats do best, which is spending other people’s money on things that don’t work and then blaming Republicans for the results.
With just weeks left before Election Day, expect that remaining slice of the $400 million to hit the airwaves hard and fast. Trump clearly isn’t leaving anything on the table, and if Republicans ride this wave the way the funding suggests they should, Democrats are going to need more than a good cry and a strongly worded press release to explain what happened.
