Donald Trump’s campaign is taking up more space inside Trump Tower in NY – and paying a lot more in rent. The first order of business comes at his very own Trump Tower campaign headquarters, where he’s almost quintupled the monthly rent.
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On May 18, when Trump and the RNC announced a joint fundraising deal, the campaign paid out $29,715 to the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida; $35,845 to the Trump National Golf Club in Jupiter, Florida; and $125,080 to Trump Restaurants LLC. So, the rent was much higher, but somehow there were fewer workers.
“If I was a donor, I’d want answers”, a prominent Republican National Committee (RNC) member who supports Trump told the Huffington Post.
“So, as an example, Donald Trump is renting space in one of his buildings to his campaign and the campaign is paying Donald Trump personally for the space”, Kaine said in Lakewood, Colorado.
The campaign paid $72,800 (£55.159) on 31 May, $110,684 (£83.864) on 9 June and $169,758 (£128.642) on 10 July. Trump began raising the rent at Trump Tower in May, according to FEC records.
“Once donors were writing checks to the campaign, Trump said, ‘Wow, I can get more money personally out of this, ‘” Kaine said while campaigning in Denver.
Then there’s his Boeing 757. Trump’s money makes up a tiny percentage of his campaign’s spending. “Most campaigns run on a much tighter budget”.
The campaign says it’s paying for larger premises within the building ahead of a staffing boost and pointed out Trump’s $2 million donation during August dwarfs any money he receives from his business interests. It invited reporters in to tour its headquarters on the fifth floor of Trump Tower that had once been used as production offices for “The Apprentice” TV show, which starred Trump. The Trump campaign has fewer than 100 staff members on payroll, which includes both personnel in the field and those based in Trump Tower. But as the months went by, up went the rent.
“It remains unclear how much space, in square footage, the campaign is leasing from Trump Tower, and how that rate per square foot compares to HuffPost’s assessment of the midtown Manhattan average of “$70 per square foot annually”.
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The Clinton campaign is paying $211,750 in rent per month for its Brooklyn headquarters, where, according to the campaign, “hundreds” of staffers work.
