RGA finance chair: Trump won’t be ‘competitive financially’
Fred Malek, the finance chair of the Republican Governors Association, said Monday that Democratic presidential front-runner Hillary Clinton would far out-raise Donald Trump unless the presumptive GOP nominee writes himself “a very big personal check.”
“I don’t think he’s going to be competitive financially [against Democrats]. I think he is going to be not competitive,” Malek said of Trump during an interview on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports.”
{mosads}”He’s got to build that from the ground up in several months. He’s gonna fall short,” Malek, the finance chairman for Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) 2008 presidential campaign, said of Trump’s fundraising infrastructure.
“Now that doesn’t mean that he can’t raise enough to run a good campaign, but he’s gonna fall far short of what Hillary Clinton is going to have. She’s gonna have a huge financial advantage unless he’s prepared to write a very big personal check.”
A New York Times report over the weekend said some of the most significant GOP donors continue to resist Trump, complicating his goal of raising $1 billion ahead of the November election.
“There are a number of donors who are holding back,” Malek said. “They want to see more evidence of inclusiveness, of tolerance, of reaching out.”
Malek noted that others, such as billionaire casino magnet Sheldon Adelson, have endorsed Trump, but he pointed to Trump not having a comprehensive campaign organization for bundlers bringing in money for staff and ads.
Malek mentioned Trump’s meeting with Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) earlier this month and his listing of potential Supreme Court nominees as positive steps toward unifying the Republican Party.
“He has to be more inclusive,” Malek continued. “I think actions speak louder than words. He’s just got to demonstrate that he’s gonna be inclusive; if elected president, he’s gonna run an inclusive administration.”
On one controversial issue, Trump’s rhetoric and proposal to ban Muslims from the U.S., Malek had a suggestion: “Maybe it would be a good idea to get some Muslims involved in his campaign.”
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