Biden News: How much does it cost to become president of the USA? From Lincoln to Bid

Biden News: How much does it cost to become president of the USA? From Lincoln to Bid

In the 2020 presidential campaign, outgoing President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden jointly raised $ 1.6 billion, according to data from the Centre for Reactive Policy.

 

The Trump family watches fireworks at the end of the Republican National Convention. The Trump family watches fireworks at the end of the Republican National Convention. Doug Mills / Reuters

Becoming president of the United States is a very expensive adventure, only available to candidates capable of seducing people with very deep pockets and willing to donate hundreds of thousands of dollars, or millions, to their campaigns.

 

Field staff and aircraft, hotels, and expenses associated with advertising, among others, have risen steadily over the past hundred years, but have especially skyrocketed throughout the 21st century.

 

Without going any further, in the 2020 presidential campaign, outgoing President Donald Trump and President-elect Joe Biden together raised a total of $ 1.6 billion, according to data from the Centre for Reactive Policy.

 

This analysis takes into account what was spent by the campaigns themselves, not by the Political Action Committees (PACs) or other support groups.

 

Lincoln spent $ 2.8 million

 

During his election campaign, former President Abraham Lincoln (1861-1865) had to address a completely divided society, separated, roughly, between the pro-slavery South and the abolitionist north.

And he did it by spending 2.8 million dollars, according to one of his biographies.

 

Taking inflation into account, the amount of money it takes to be the tenant of the White House has multiplied by more than 350 from Lincoln to the winner of the last elections, Democrat Joe Biden, who has spent about 1 billion dollars. Trump, for his part, about 600 million!

 

Spending soars in the 21st century

 

Despite the pandemic, which has greatly limited public appearances on the ground, the expenses of both campaigns have far exceeded those registered in 2016.

 

Biden News: In that battle, the Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton had a budget of 565 million dollars, above her rival, Trump, with 322 million consumed, according to data from the Open Secrets platform.

 

This trend has steadily increased in recent years.

 

In 1992, the combined campaigns of George Bush Sr. (1989-1993), Bill Clinton (1994-2001), and Ross Perot spent about $ 360 million adjusted for inflation, according to reports from the Federal Election Commission.

 

For those of 2000, the tightest in modern history, neither George W. Bush (2001-2009) nor Al Gore, who lost due to a controversial vote recount in Florida, spent more than 200 million dollars.

 

Between those elections and 2012, the campaign spending of the candidates multiplied by more than four: in 2012, former President Barack Obama (2009-2017) spent more than 720 million to seek his re-election; while his Republican rival, now senator Mitt Romney, invested, unsuccessfully, about 450 million dollars.

 

Does the person who spends the most always win?

Generally, the amount of money spent by each candidate is a good indicator of who will win the election.

 

In recent decades, however, the applicant who invested the least has won on a few occasions. Without going any further, in 2016, Trump beat Hillary Clinton with less spending.

 

But there are other cases: in 1996, Bill Clinton triumphed with a budget of 200 million dollars, below the 228 of Republican Bob Dole, while Ronald Reagan (1981-1989) won in 1984 with less money than his rival, Walter Mondale.

 

In 2020, waiting for Trump to admit defeat, the candidate who raised and spent the most money has won the election again.