Well, Donald Trump is back on Twitter and is trying desperately to spin his humiliating finish in Iowa into a glorious underdog victory. What is really a surprise is that Trump is crediting his own crappy strategic judgment for his defeat.
Because I was told I could not do well in Iowa, I spent very little there – a fraction of Cruz & Rubio. Came in a strong second. Great honor
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
Really? Who told him that? Has he yelled “You’re fired!” yet? This is an obvious lie. In the week or so leading up to the Iowa Caucuses, Trump was telling us how he was kicking ass and taking names. For instance:
Thank you! Mitchell FOX2 Michigan Poll finds Trump holds 3-1 lead over closest GOP opponents. Trump 47% Clinton 43% pic.twitter.com/xpaeV0YzGV — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2016
and
Good morning America! Thank you for all of your support in the latest Drudge poll! https://t.co/XDnixWnqwb pic.twitter.com/yUTtLnALxy
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 29, 2016
There are a lot more, but I’m not Twitchy. So what kind of businessman looks at all the market research that shows he is winning in a big way and then cut his investment? Well, someone with Trump’s history of bankruptcy and business failure. Seriously, is this the judgment you want in a president? It is Hillary-esque in its boneheadedness.
The media has not covered my long-shot great finish in Iowa fairly. Brought in record voters and got second highest vote total in history! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
Long shot? Really? This is the guy who was leading in the RCP average:
Let’s review the bidding on spending:
Trump did spend a “fraction” of what Cruz and Rubio spent. He spent about half of Cruz’s expenditures and nearly a quarter of Rubio’s. The difference being that all the money Trump spent was his own. Not so with the other candidates. But Trump’s strategy relies upon earned media, not paid media. So his decision to not spend money to lock up a critical early state win has come back to haunt him. Yet another terrible business decision by Trump.
I don’t believe I have been given any credit by the voters for self-funding my campaign, the only one. I will keep doing, but not worth it!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 2, 2016
This explains why he didn’t spend more money. He had to loan his campaign ~$11 million in the last quarter because his fundraising is basically limited to selling cheap China-made hats. Like most rich guys, he doesn’t like to spend his own money especially when there is no return on investment likely. Trump is reaching the crunch point, and it will hammer him hard in March, where he is going to have to shell out tens of millions of his own money otherwise he is simply not going to be able to compete. If it isn’t “worth it” now, it definitely won’t be worth it after the SEC primary.
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