Trump could save a lot of donor money if he stopped paying himself

The campaign of Donald Trump is spending thousands instead of choosing cheaper alternatives.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Donald Trump is many things, but frugal is apparently not one of them. Much fuss has been made over the fact that $423,000 in donor dollars went to pay his own Mar-a-Lago resort for two parties and a news conference in March — and what's more, he could have saved several thousand dollars if he had booked a different venue instead, The Huffington Post reports: "Had Trump instead chosen to hold those events at the nearby West Palm Beach Marriott, he likely would have spent no more than $45,000 for [all three events], based on its estimates for catering the number of people who attended his parties."

A similar situation occurred in New York, The Huffington Post explains:

Instead of spending $48,000 at his club in Westchester County, New York, Trump could have used a ballroom at the Westchester Marriott 9 miles away. The likely cost there: approximately $20,000, said that hotel's director of catering. [The Huffington Post]

And while Trump pays $90 to $120 per square foot in Trump Tower, offices elsewhere in Midtown cost closer to $70 per square foot. If Trump had set up shop in Queens or Brooklyn, that cost could be as low as $32 per square foot — which is what Hillary Clinton pays in Brooklyn Heights.

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Florida strategist Rick Wilson told The Huffington Post he didn't think Republican donors understood the extent of Trump's self-indulgent splurges. "I think they're only vaguely aware. It's Putinesque," he said.

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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.