Trump Campaign Finally Makes Ad Buy

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign will put an end to “an unprecedented advertising gap” when it begins airing general election ads this weekend, CNN reports.

“Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort and other aides told about 50 Capitol Hill Republicans on a conference call Tuesday that he would begin advertisements in five states, according to a congressional source,” the story reports. “The spots will air in five states, according to a Trump adviser: Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania — all places where Trump is trailing solidly.”

The big advertising push for the Trump campaign still is not expected until September.

“Trump so far has been belatedly bolstered on television principally by three outside groups: Two pro-Trump super PACs, Rebuilding America Now and Great America PAC, along with the National Rifle Association,” CNN notes. “Yet those forces only spent about $15 million since the Republican primary ended. Campaigns pay significantly lower rates than do outside groups for the same amount of airtime.”

“Clinton and her allies meanwhile have spent over $105 million since the conclusion of the Democratic primary on radio and television,” CNN adds.