Trump Makes 2 Huge Moves

Donald Trump has made a big to-do about spending next to nothing so far in his presidential campaign, but that may be changing. Sources in his camp tell Fox News he plans to kick off a major ad blitz, spending up to $2 million a week or more. This would mark a big change: Even though his campaign budgeted $25 million for TV ads for 2015's third quarter, Fox says it spent nothing—in Q3 or Q4. The first set of ads will reportedly jump right into where Trump stands on the issues, and they may also be reserved to swing back at rivals. "If you attack Trump, he will attack you 10 times as hard," a Trump adviser tells Fox. The Hill notes Jeb Bush and John Kasich could be two targets, as they've gone on the offensive against Trump the most—for example, a Bush super PAC ponied up more than $3 million earlier this month for an ad aimed at Trump.

And that's not the only big news in Donald's domain. Politico reports that multiple sources have confirmed a deal struck between Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee that gives his campaign access to the RNC's voter files, said to harbor data on more than 200 million Americans—data Politico notes is "critical for identifying and mobilizing persuadable voters." Although the details aren't yet clear, the site reports the RNC typically ensures that campaigns it list-shares with are well versed in data operations. The list-sharing agreement also stipulates that candidates pledge to support the eventual party nominee. Though Trump signed a loyalty pledge in September vowing he wouldn't run as an independent if he doesn't secure the GOP nomination, the Washington Post noted it isn't legally binding and "means almost nothing." (No more free publicity for Trump from Honest Tea bottle caps.)