One month ago, Donald Trump raised eyebrows and in some cases, tempers, when the "anti-establishment" candidate announced that he had picked Goldman Sachs veteran, and former George Soros trader, Steven Mnuchin, as his finance chairman, who was supposed to help the New York mogul raise as much as $1 billion to fund his presidential campaign. However, it appears Mnuchin's fundraising services will not be as needed as initially thought. In an interview with Bloomberg, Donald Trump distanced himself from his own fundraising estimate of $1 billion, refusing to commit to collecting even half that amount, and saying his campaign didn't need much money to win the White House.
Instead Trump, who has held just two major fundraising events since agreeing three weeks ago to help the party raise cash, said he would rely instead more on his own star power as a former reality-TV personality to earn free media, and has no specific goals for how much money his campaign needs.
"There’s no reason to raise that," Trump said about raising $1 billion. "I just don’t think I need nearly as much money as other people need because I get so much publicity. I get so many invitations to be on television. I get so many interviews, if I want them."
In an extended interview inside his Trump Tower office on Wednesday—his first after the final day of Republican nomination contests—Trump also said he has narrowed his running-mate search to four or five politicians from within the party's establishment, including several former campaign rivals.
Trump also spoke at length about his controversial real-estate program, Trump University, despite a lengthy statement a day earlier in which he said he did "not intend to comment on this matter any further." He continued to insist that he's been treated unfairly in the case, and pointed to positive reviews of the school. "Another said, 'I went to Harvard and this was better,'" Trump said. He declined say whether he agreed or disagreed with that assessment, adding, "The experience was very good for a lot of people."
However in an indication that Trump is trying to become more moderate, unlike previous interviews on the subject, he didn't turn to personal attacks against federal judge Gonzalo Curiel.
"It's not a big case and they don't care about it," Trump said about voters. "Nobody cares. We want to get on to where the economy is going and everything else."
Some other details from the interview:
In contrast to the loud and outrageous performance Trump delivers at his public rallies, he was engaging and even made at attempt at humility when a reporter suggested he had out-negotiated House Speaker Paul Ryan to win the Wisconsin Republican's endorsement. "I didn't out-negotiate him," Trump said. "He is a very good guy. I think Paul and I will deal on certain issues.
"But Trump's brashness was on display, too, as he responded to a Bloomberg Politics article on Monday about a chaotic private phone call in which he ordered about three dozen of his most visible supporters to defend his attacks on Curiel by questioning the judge's credibility and impugning reporters as racists.
"I started that call by saying 'I would imagine that someone from the press is on this call in some form," Trump said on Wednesday. "It's not like somebody got me by surprise. I'm a big boy. … It wasn't like a sneak attack."
The call showed the extraordinary role Trump has taken in his campaign, often acting as his own political strategist, communications adviser and even scheduler. During the interview on Wednesday in his office, he said he would give a speech on Monday to attack Hillary Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee. The event planning then played out in front of reporters.
"I don't even know where yet. I think we are gonna do it in Washington at the club," Trump said about delivering the speech at Trump National Golf Course in suburban Virginia. "Let's do it at the club," he said, turning to Hope Hicks, his top press aide. "I wouldn't mind doing it on the Potomac." "I almost would love to do it right at the flag," Trump said.
"I love that," Hicks told him.
"But it would depend on the weather and stuff," Trump added.
Trump's most consequential decision between now and the Republican National Convention that starts July in Cleveland is selecting his running mate.
Going back to the topic of his VP pick, Trump said he'll probably choose one of four or five politicians, and that his short list includes some vanquished rivals who have dropped out of the 2016 presidential race. He is considering at least one ex-rival who has so far refused to endorse him, but who will "come over to my side," he predicted. Trump refused to name names, but former rivals who have been floated as potential running mates include Ohio Governor John Kasich, Texas Senator Ted Cruz and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie.
Trump also said he probably wouldn't pick a business executive as his running mate, and flatly ruled out anyone with Wall Street experience. “No, no, I don’t think so," Trump said. "I don’t need that type of ability. I have that ability, better than they have.”
The advantage of picking a running mate with political experience is that they’ve been largely vetted by voters and the media, so it’s unlikely anyone will “find out that they were doing terrible, terrible things with their life,” Trump said.
His running mate won’t be former Texas Governor Rick Perry, but Trump would like to see him in his administration. “I like him," Trump said about Perry. "I’d like to get him involved in some capacity at a high level. Because I think he’s very good. I think he’s very very good. He’s also very good on the border,” Trump said.
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However, what will likely attract the most attention is Trump's relent on his fundraising ambitions. As Daily Caller reported, in a string of tweets Wednesday morning, Mark Cuban again claimed that Donald Trump isn’t as rich as he claims and said he expects the presumptive Republican nominee to “grovel” for donor money.
“I expect @realDonaldTrump to try to calm down,” Cuban’s first tweet said. “He doesn’t have the cash to fund his campaign, he needs to appease donors quickly.”
1) I expect @realDonaldTrump to try to calm down. He doesn't have the cash to fund his campaign, he needs to appease donors quickly
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 8, 2016
Cuban then repeated his claim than Trump has less than $165 million and estimated Trump’s campaign will cost at least $750 million. “He will have to grovel for that cash and will,” Cuban said.
2) he had less than 165mm in cash and falling for a campaign that will cost 750mm or more. He will have to grovel for that cash and will
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 8, 2016
Cuban claimed that “the real fun” will come from secret recordings of Trump asking donors for money: “He will say what they want to hear. Get ready!” Mitt Romney’s 2012 campaign took a hit after video of his infamous “47 percent” comments to donors leaked to the press.
3) the real fun/drama will come from all the "hidden" videos from his private fundraisers. He will say what they want to hear. Get ready !
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 8, 2016
4)the real "index" for this election will be RNC vs DNC fundraising.RNC will need less $ for POTUS but much more downstream to counter Trump
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 8, 2016
Cuban closed his string of tweets by arguing that Trump will be more “beholden” to donors than Hillary Clinton because of how far behind he is in fundraising.
5) the reality is that @realDonaldTrump will be MORE beholden to donors than @HillaryClinton because his fund raising is so far behind
— Mark Cuban (@mcuban) June 8, 2016
It remains to be seen if Trump will use his own money to fund his campaign if Cuban is right and if, as some suspect, Trump is only backing down from his lofty fundraising ambitions because he is concerned of the potential humiliation that would result should there simply not be enough willing donors,