Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump often brags about his wealth, and how, contrary to his rivals, he can self-fund his way to the White House. It is a boast intended to solidify his image as the un-buyable candidate with the mettle to take on the establishment.
However, thanks to wall-to-wall media coverage of the Trump campaign, the GOP frontrunner hasn't had to spend as he reaps the benefits of free publicity. The businessman has led in the polls, since first entering the race over the summer, without dropping hardly a dime on his own behalf.
That's about to change in the new year.
On Tuesday, Trump announced via his favorite social medium that he is planning on spending "big" in early primary states.
He also used the opportunity to take a dig at his preferred punching bag, former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
As yet, no firm numbers have been mentioned, so it's not clear how much of his own money Trump is ultimately planning to commit to his bid for the White House. (It is worth noting that Trump has raised a substantial sum from unsolicited donations -- nearly $4 million in the third fundraising quarter.) The new ad blitz, however, "could cost at least $2 million a week," according to Fox News, and would focus on the candidate and his vision for the country.
The shift in strategy comes in the wake of Sen. Ted Cruz's (R-Texas) surging popularity -- in the last month he jumped into first place in the early caucus state of Iowa. It also follows fresh questions over the strength of Trump's early-state get-out-the-vote efforts, which have been described as less robust than those of his fellow rivals.
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