I don't think this will surprise anyone:
"No, I would put up a tremendous amount of money, but I think it's good when people -- I get letters all the time. I get letters where I send it back now, because I'm not a declared candidate. But I get letters and checks and money sent to me all the time. But I think that's a good thing. I think they should have sort of a feeling that they're a part of their campaign.In fairness to The Donald, Eric Kleefeld at TPM is clearly running the "hundreds of millions" of dollars as relevant when what is probably as important is Trump's hope to be funded by other people.
"So I would put up hundreds of millions if I have to," Trump concluded. "But I also think it's good when people that are supporting you contribute to your campaign."
"I think when people invest in a campaign that's a good thing. You know, you're investing in thought. You're investing in a process."I really encourage The Donald to ask Meg Whitman or Linda McMahon how many people came flocking to support their campaigns with donation, knowing that the candidate had an unlimited checkbook. If Trump's desire is to be funded by supporters and not be a self-funder, it may be determinative for his decision to enter the race. Sure, he can give his campaign a few hundred million dollars, but if he wanted to have a meaningful level of grassroots support, he may pass up running if grassroots support isn't forthcoming. The ability for a billionaire to spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a quixotic political endeavor is defined by the interests of someone who actually has nothing good to do with his money. Trump's interest to not be a self-funder, while not determinative of his ability to self-fund, is very relevant in assessing whether he will actually join the fray.