Donald Trump hires ex-Rubio aide as campaign finance COO
Donald Trump has hired a chief operating officer for finance for his campaign, the latest addition to his financial team as he develops plans to change the funding structure for his campaign during the general election.
CBS News' Sopan Deb confirmed that the billionaire has hired Eli Miller, who was the deputy finance director for Marco Rubio's presidential campaign. Miller has also worked for Mitt Romney's 2012 presidential bid and then as the Ohio state director for Americans for Prosperity, a Koch-linked group. While at Americans for Prosperity, Miller became close to Corey Lewandowski, Trump's current campaign manager, according to the New York Times.
Trump has said that he doesn't want to self-fund the general election campaign, which he estimates may cost him $1.5 billion, he said in an interview with Fox News. Earlier this week, he told the Wall Street Journal that he would still "be putting up money."
He also told the Associated Press Tuesday that he won't rely on public financing for the general election either.
"I don't like the idea of taking taxpayer money to run a campaign. I think it's inappropriate," Trump said in an interview. "I think it's inappropriate."
The New York real estate mogul suggested that his general election campaign may try to avoid running negative ads against Democratic front-runner Hillary Clinton if she goes on to the general election.
Of negative spots, he said, "I just don't find them to be very effective."
"I've had over $100 million in negative ads spent on me and every time it's boosted my numbers," Trump noted.
The businessman said he'll spend "limited" money on data operations to identify and track potential voters and to model various turnout scenarios that could give him the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win the presidency.
He finds that his best investment, in contrast, has been his rallies, which often attract thousands of voters and media attention.
"The people go home, they tell their friends they loved it," Trump told the Associated Press. "It's been good."