Despite saying throughout the Republican primary season that he was running a self-funded campaign, that has not been the case since Donald Trump got into his (presumptive) general election battle with Hillary Clinton.
The likely Republican nominee reportedly raised more than $50 million in the month of June, and on Wednesday, he took to his favorite medium—Twitter, of course—to ask for more of it.
To all of my twitter followers, please contribute whatever you can to the campaign. We must beat Crooked Hillary. https://t.co/Xv8Q1GuWiH
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 6, 2016
So, what’s the significance of that?
Believe this is a first: Trump directly asking his Twitter followers for donations. https://t.co/QpwOoIwWaz
— Ali Vitali (@alivitali) July 6, 2016
Though Trump did retweet the following last August, Vitali’s claim appear to be true.
“@glendabelle_11 @FoxNewsInsider @foxandfriends @realDonaldTrump Trump supporters- volunteer ,contribute, assist campaign etc .We need Trump
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 24, 2015
The Twitter reaction to Trump’s tweet was mixed—from “funny idea of ‘self-funding’ you’ve got” to “I’d say he’s self funded QUITE enough, time for us to pitch in and help”—but Trump seems to realize he needs more help than his claimed wealth can give him.
Trump was ridiculed last month for having just $1.3 million cash on hand, and a #TrumpSoPoor hashtag got popular when it was revealed that the real estate mogul had once given Charlie Sheen fake diamond cuff links as a wedding present.
It makes sense, of course, that Trump needs help. Running a presidential campaign is expensive, even for a self-proclaimed billionaire. But for a guy who was so adamant about not needing anybody else’s money, his latest tweet is a real turning point.
After all, remember this?
Donald Trump/Twitter
