President Donald Trump said that he has spent or plans to spend more than $400 million to help Republicans win the midterm elections, including on political advertising, as both parties pour billions into television and digital campaigns ahead of Nov. 3.
In a Truth Social post Tuesday, Trump said 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.”
Trump did not specify how much was spent on advertising alone or whether the money came from his personal funds or MAGA Inc., his main super PAC. The spending figures have not been independently verified.
The announcement comes amid a surge in political advertising ahead of the midterms. Republicans have spent or reserved approximately $2.2 billion in advertising across federal, state and local races since Sept. 1, compared with $1.8 billion by Democrats, according to the Associated Press.
Outside groups have also become major players in the advertising blitz, spending more than $1.2 billion in competitive congressional races, according to a Washington Post analysis of AdImpact data. In more than 70% of those contests, outside groups accounted for the majority of ad spending.
The spending announcement also follows a separate controversy over Trump’s taxpayer-funded television advertising. The administration bought ads on Fox News, CNN and MS NOW, including 10 placements on CNN and 38 on MS NOW as part of a broader $2.87 million campaign, as TheWrap previously reported, citing Washington Post ad-tracking data.
Following bipartisan criticism of the ads, Trump said Oct. 5 that he would cover the costs himself or through MAGA Inc.
Democratic candidates and their allies have spent more than $163 million on television ads mentioning Trump since Sept. 1, compared with roughly $11 million by Republicans, according to the AP’s analysis of AdImpact data.
