Trump claimed he had $500m ‘in cash’ for his campaign. Will he use it now? ‘None of your business’

Last week, Donald Trump claimed he had “almost” $500m “in cash” that he obtained “through hard work, talent and luck.”

He said that “substantial amount” was intended to fund his presidential campaign.

Days later, facing an imminent deadline to post an appeals bond of nearly half a billion dollars to block enforcement of civil fraud judgment against him, the former president suggested he had “a similar amount in my bank account” and he “intended to use much of that hard earned money on running for President.”

But after a New York appeals court allowed Mr Trump to post a $175m bond up to 10 days after Monday’s deadline to come up with the cash, the Republican Party’s likely nominee for president said it’s “none of your business” if he actually puts up any of his own money for his campaign.

The former president hasn’t contributed to his own campaign since 2016. Asked on Monday whether he plans to this time, he said: “Well, first of all, it’s none of your business, I mean, frankly. I might. I might do that. I have the option. But if I had to spend $500m on a bond, I wouldn’t have that option. I’d have to start selling things. I don’t have to sell anything.”

During a taped deposition in the civil fraud case last year, Mr Trump claimed he has more than $400m in cash. His attorney Alina Habba told Newsmax last month that “of course” Mr Trump has money to pay off the judgment against him. “He’s a billionaire,” she said.

Mr Trump stated in his 2021 statement of financial condition – the documents at the centre of the case, and the most recent available from the trial – that he had roughly $294m in cash, a figure that New York Attorney General Letitia James alleges is inflated.

Donald Trump speaks to reporters from 40 Wall Street