‘You got taken to the cleaners’: Trump mocked for blaming cash woes on ‘fake news’

President Donald Trump is blaming “false reporting” and the “fake news” media’s factual reports of his handling of the coronavirus pandemic for his campaign’s money problems. Reports reveal excessive spending, including that former campaign manager Brad Parscale’s companies made millions off the campaign, and that campaign donations were used to pay Trump’s family members and used as a “piggy bank” to pay Trump’s legal bills.
“My Campaign spent a lot of money up front in order to compensate for the false reporting and Fake News concerning our handling of the China Virus,” Trump tweeted Tuesday morning. “Now they see the GREAT job we have done, and we have 3 times more than we had 4 years ago – & are up in polls. Lots of $’s & ENERGY!”
The president’s mishandling of the pandemic has led to more than 190,000 deaths in the US, by far more than any other country, and more per capita than almost any other country.
The president is likely responding to a devastating New York Times report: “How Trump’s Billion-Dollar Campaign Lost Its Cash Advantage.”
Among the splashiest and perhaps most questionable purchases was a pair of Super Bowl ads the campaign reserved for $11 million, according to Advertising Analytics — more than it has spent on TV in some top battleground states. It was a vanity splurge that allowed Mr. Trump to match the billionaire Michael R. Bloomberg’s buy for the big game.
Trump reportedly is considering spending up to $100 million of his own money on his campaign.
Many were quick to mock the president.
@realDonaldTrump Donations were well spent funneling back to Trump Family, and paying off silence of witnesses to T… https://t.co/KQ4I8KDvkv— David Rothschild (@David Rothschild) 1599574901.0
@realDonaldTrump Yeah, no. You got swindled out of that money. 😂😂😂😂— Jude 🌐 (@Jude 🌐) 1599573713.0
Only a rage-tweeting lunatic would call @realDonaldTrump handling of the pandemic a "Great Job". 6.5M cases and clo… https://t.co/fvx0v9BEib— Brian J. Karem (@Brian J. Karem) 1599573964.0
Blowing 800 million to own the libs 😂. It never ceases to amaze me how he straight up cannot allow anything to go u… https://t.co/V72pSIj9ZJ— Wakandan Brand Ambassador (@Wakandan Brand Ambassador) 1599574314.0
@realDonaldTrump lol you got taken to the cleaners.— Helen Kennedy (@Helen Kennedy) 1599571401.0
@realDonaldTrump Your campaign was raided by grifters, including Brad Parscale, Jared and Ivanka, rest of family an… https://t.co/K5X03ezmRZ— Michelangelo Signorile, subscribe to my newsletter (@Michelangelo Signorile, subscribe to my newsletter) 1599575618.0
seems to be arguing that money siphoned out of/embezzled from the campaign was to deal with the very unfair fake ne… https://t.co/JXMbNA2XZ3— Josh Marshall (@Josh Marshall) 1599573600.0
This is total BS. They have far less cash to spend than @TeamJoe and @TheDemocrats going into the last 8 weeks of… https://t.co/6lwvMQIDcJ— Andrew Feinberg (@Andrew Feinberg) 1599572238.0
@realDonaldTrump #BREAKING Man Who Went Broke Running Casinos Brags About How Well He Is Managing His Campaign Finances— Jeff Tiedrich (@Jeff Tiedrich) 1599572408.0
Ahhhh, it appears someone has finally seen the stories about his campaign's money problems https://t.co/GlrKblsyGK— Justin Baragona (@Justin Baragona) 1599571606.0
so how much did you raise last month? simple question. (that reporters would be hounding democrats over if the tabl… https://t.co/bhhtRj1OMf— Oliver Willis (@Oliver Willis) 1599571858.0
@realDonaldTrump All the money your campaign spent CANNOT cover up for the death of 193,000 Americans from COVID-19… https://t.co/JuOQVIYTKg— BrooklynDad_Defiant! (@BrooklynDad_Defiant!) 1599573259.0
@realDonaldTrump You spent a ton of money on ads in Washington DC. I don’t live anywhere near there and I’m not a p… https://t.co/axwIB3W4eJ— Jon Hyllested (@Jon Hyllested) 1599575922.0
He thinks he's done a great job on COVID. Most deaths in the world. US in a recession. Schools closed. Business… https://t.co/xP0G5Mmf39— Ronald Klain (@Ronald Klain) 1599574623.0