Where is all of Donald Trump's campaign money going? To himself.

Donald Trump has used his campaign to capitalize on his businesses.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 21 June 2016

Donald Trump raised only a fraction of the funds his Democratic counterpart did in May, and he has little cash remaining on hand going into June — just $1.3 million, far below the $3.8 million a month Hillary Clinton spends just to employ her 683 staffers. As the Trump campaign is reportedly paying only 30 on-the-ground operatives nationwide, it might make one wonder where all his money is going:

As just a sample, in May alone Trump spent nearly $350,000 on private jets owned by Trump's TAG Air, over $423,000 on rental and catering at his Mar-a-Lago club, and $4,000 on his son's wine company, The Washington Post reports. All told, Trump ran up over a million dollars just at Trump companies or reimbursing family members' travel expenses last month. For all of May, he spent a total of $6.7 million.

In March, The Daily Beast accused Trump of "paying himself to run for president," noting that no other Republicans in the field — Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio, John Kasich, or Ben Carson — spent money at businesses with their name in the title.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.