President-elect Donald Trump spent far less money in the U.S. presidential election than his rival, Hillary Clinton.
In fact, Clinton outspent Trump by a factor of 2:1.
Including campaign and outside group spending, Trump spent around $285 million, compared to Clinton's $609 million, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. In total, Trump spent around $5 per vote during his White House bid, which is about half what Hillary Clinton spent, according to Reuters.
Donald Trump's cost-effective victory stunned political analysts and pollsters, and has overturned prevailing notions that money in American politics guarantees a better chance of winning an office. Trump proved that a lean campaign that leverages media exposure can be a winning campaign model.
To be fair, it would be tough to repeat Trump's performance, according to Reuters. Trump's celebrity status, household name, and aura of controversy all attracted nonstop coverage from the mainstream media, boosting his message (even if some of that coverage had a negative slant).
According to an analysis by the data analytics firm mediaQuant, Trump generated nearly $5 billion worth of free media coverage during the election. That figure was more than twice the amount garnered by Clinton.
True to one of his mottos, Trump ran his campaign "under budget" and got exceptional results.
Don't Miss: We know that Donald Trump recieved billions worth of free media coverage during the election. But here's a further breakdown of Trump's free-media strategy...
Follow us on Twitter @moneymorning and like us on Facebook.
[mmpazkzone name="end-story-hostage" network="9794" site="307044" id="138536" type="4"]