Wednesday, April 6, 2016

Politics for fun & profit: The Donald Trump Story

This blog has nothing to do with politics, yet I wanted to share a 1-2-3 sequence here that I've been thinking about for some time with readers.

So here we go.

1. Ross Perot's 1992 campaign was remarkable for the way he spent his own money running for office in the United States

2. Ron Paul's 2008 campaign was remarkable for the ways he raised money running for office in the United States

3. Donald Trump's 2016 campaign is remarkable for the ways a presidential bid makes him money


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Ross Perot: 1992 infomercial. Yes, he bought television time slots to show us his bar charts



Ron Paul: The 2007 & 2008 money bombs go off



Donald Trump 2015-2016: Billions in free coverage



Yes, Mr. Trump, who inherited a money bomb of his own in the 70s (and on that pile of artillery is said to have achieved a non-noteworthy return more or less equal to that of the S&P), makes money through brand awareness. And more creates more. He sells his name to things like flashy real estate developments and in return usually receives a flat fee plus a percentage of annual revenues.

With a personal brand that he estimates at being worth in the billions, and a campaign that is said to have received close to $2 billion in free media coverage (so far), I think it's safe to say that Mr. Trump is the first presidential candidate to actually increase his net worth by running for office.

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