Donald Trump says he'll spend "whatever it takes" of his own personal money in his run for the Republican presidential nomination and will not seek the financial help of the conservative, billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.
"I'm self-funding my campaign . . . the nice part is I don't need their money," Trump told
Newsmax TV's Steve Malzberg on Friday.
"I need the support of the people of the country. I don't need the support of people putting up money, I need the support of the people of the country so that I get votes. That's the ultimate support, that's what I'm looking for.
"Because the fact that I'm self-funding, the fact that I'm not going to special interests and lobbyists to get money, lets me make the proper decisions for the country. Nobody else is going to make those decisions."
The Koch brothers are major powerbrokers in conservative politics and have spent tens of millions of dollars over the years to support Republican candidates.
"My relationship with them has been very good," said Trump, adding he recently was invited to a get-together with various governors at David Koch's home.
Both brothers are also members of his exclusive Mar-a-Lago country club in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump said.
Trump, who has been the Republican presidential frontrunner in national polls for seven months, said he has put no limit on what he is willing to shell out.
"I have a lot of money and I can spend unlimited money I have far more money than anybody else. I have far more money than anybody else who's ever run," Trump told Malzberg. "And I'll spend what I need to spend if it's a wise investment, I mean if I think I'm going to win. And right now it looks like I'm doing very well and we'll see what happens."