Even the stark disparity in cash on hand may understate the desperate straits in which Mr. Trump finds himself. His fund-raising, led largely by the Republican National Committee, has slowed. He canceled a fund-raiser with 90 people in Boston last week, after the shooting in Orlando, Fla.; it has been rescheduled for June 29.
Mr. Trump is to be feted at two fund-raisers in Manhattan this week, organized by Woody Johnson, the owner of the New York Jets, with one event featuring Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey. But the ticket price for that event is only $500, a paltry sum for a presidential campaign, and only 260 people have signed up, according to a person involved in Mr. Trump’s fund-raising, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the information was not intended for the public.
Charles Spies, a Republican election lawyer who advised Jeb Bush’s “super PAC,” said Mr. Trump would have to put in an enormous amount of his own money to jump-start his campaign and win over big donors. He suggested an appropriate figure would be $100 million to $200 million.
Mr. Spies said Mr. Trump should also forgive the loans he had made to his campaign, to reassure contributors that he would not use their money to repay himself.