FX.co ★ 7 most expensive US presidential campaigns

Donald Trump and Joe Biden

Expenditures in 2020: $1.08 billion

Joe Biden is one of the most stubborn nominees for President of the United States. Being a very young man, he decided that he would become the US President one day. Yet, all his attempts have been unsuccessful so far. However, everything has changed this year. In the current campaign, he is ahead of Trump. It seems that his dream may well come true. According to reports, the Democratic Party has already spent $549 billion on his campaign, with the bulk of the funds spent on Biden's digital advertising. Donald Trump does not skimp on ramping up funds to make his election race brighter and catchy. The re-election campaign has cost Trump $537 billion.

Hillary Clinton

Expenditures: $768 million

Hillary Clinton appeared in the political arena during the presidency of her husband - Bill Clinton. Being a born leader, she was not going to play second fiddle. Thus, she began to work hard to create his own political image in order to become the President one day.  However, she was unable to gain a desirable position. In 2008, she withdrew from the election. In her second bid to become the first female leader of the United States in 2016, Hillary lost to Donald Trump. The cost of Clinton’s entire campaign added up to a mind-blowing $768 million. Former First Lady managed to raise about $1 billion. Curiously enough, Donald Trump did not spend much in that campaign: his expenses amounted to approximately $433 million.

Barack Obama

Expenditures in 2012: $721 million

As the Democratic presidential candidate, Barack Obama began his campaign with a modest $3.2 million. Obama was the first main party nominee to refuse public funding, and his presidential campaign was built entirely on privately donated money. After a short period of time, investments and donations became the main financial source of his campaign. He managed to gain $722 million. At the same time, most of this money was collected through transfers of voters that did not exceed $200.

Mitt Romney

Expenditures in 2012: $449 million

The initial funds of the Romney campaign came in at $383,000, but this was not enough. Thus, his team had to increase spending by several times. Many large investors donated big amounts of money to his campaign as they were rooting for a Republican President. One of the biggest backers was Bob G Perry who donated $8 million to Romney's campaign. Donald Trump also supported the Republican candidate in that race but he did not spend his money. He was mainly engaged in finding information to undermine the voters’ trust in Barack Obama.

George W. Bush

Expenditures in 2014: $367.2 million

George W. Bush was well aware of how expensive the presidential race could be. In 1988, he participated in his father's presidential campaign gaining invaluable experience. In that year, he also made a deal to buy the Texas Rangers baseball team and it made him famous. In 2000 his fame and entourage helped him almost without problems to win over the other candidates and take the post of President of the United States. Bush also managed to raise a record-breaking $350 million for his campaign.

Bill Clinton

Expenditures in 1996: $116 million

Bill Clinton took part in two presidential races. In 1992, he became the US President. Despite his little experience, he was able to boost the rapid development of the country and improve economic performance. During his presidency, the high-tech sector advanced significantly and unemployment was at a minimum level. No wonder he won the next election without much trouble. Unfortunately, his second term was rather grim. He was involved in a sex scandal and was almost impeached.

Ronald Reagan

Expenditures in 1984: $40 million ($97.6 million at 2020 prices)

American citizens consider Ronald Reagan the best President in the history of the country. He even managed to overrun such famous politicians as Abraham Lincoln and Bill Clinton. Reagan's life is a perfect example of the American dream. When the Great Depression was raging in the country, he managed to find two jobs at once. He even took up an acting career, but soon realized that he was more interested in politics. He achieved what he was striving for. He did a great job being the President. During eight years of his presidency, the inflation rate fell to 4.5% from 12.5%, while unemployment tumbled to 5.3% from 7.5%.