Donald Trump claims self-funded campaign sets him apart

The staff of The World and Everything in It has profiled 22 possible 2016 presidential candidates in its “White House Wednesday” series. Now they take a look at who’s ahead and who’s making moves as the primaries get closer.

As GOP presidential candidates work to stand out from the pack, Donald Trump is making a seemingly unique claim.

“I’m self-funding my campaign,” Trump says in a recent ad. “I’m not taking special interest money, and I’ve called on other candidates to disavow their super PACs, but none of them have done it.”

Super PACs are political action committees that work independently from the candidates themselves. They can work on behalf of candidates, but cannot coordinate with them once they declare they are running. Right to Rise, the super PAC backing Jeb Bush, worked with him before he officially started his campaign. But as soon as he declared, he had to cut ties with that organization. Right to Rise continues to raise money and spend money on his behalf; it recently spent almost $7 million on ads for Bush that aired on Fox News. Super PACs are not limited on what money they can raise.

Despite Trump’s claims of a self-funded campaign, super PACs have formed to support him, leading some to argue he’s not really self-funded after all. Trump disavowed the super PACs and called on other candidates to do the same.

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Presidential Power Rankings

WORLD’s Presidential Power Rankings are a snapshot of where the GOP presidential primary race stands right now. Polling is the biggest factor in the rankings, but they also include structural advantages such as fundraising and political talent. This week, we rank the top 10 Republican candidates for president.