Former President Donald Trump said Monday that he “might” spend his own money on his 2024 presidential campaign, which he hasn’t done on his campaigns since 2016.
“I might do that,” Trump said in remarks at his 40 Wall Street building in Lower Manhattan, adding to reporters, “It’s none of your business.”
“I have a lot of cash and a great company,” Trump said. “I might spend a lot of money on my campaign.”
The former president said New York Judge Arthur Engoron, who ruled that Trump would owe a $464 million judgment in the state’s civil fraud case against him, doesn’t want Trump to use his cash to get elected.
“They don’t want me taking cash out,” said Trump, who seemed to be referring to both Engoron and New York Attorney General Letitia James.
Trump made the remarks after he left a Manhattan courtroom for a hearing for his New York criminal case. Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case, ruled that the trial would begin April 15.
While he was in court, a state appeals court ruled that Trump and his co-defendants in the New York civil fraud case have 10 days to post a $175 million bond, down from the $464 million judgment that was originally due Monday.
In a post on his Truth Social website, Trump on Friday claimed that he had nearly $500 million in cash that he had planned to use toward his 2024 presidential campaign. The former president, however, hasn’t put his own money into his presidential campaigns since 2016, including a $10 million donation he made in the days before his election. Instead, he has relied more heavily on small-dollar online donations to power his political efforts.
Biden’s campaign has significantly outraised Trump so far during this presidential cycle, with Biden’s campaign closing February with $71 million in the bank compared to Trump’s $33.5 million. The gap is even wider when Democratic and Republican party committees are also taken into account.
Ben Kamisar and Garrett Haake contributed.