Some wonder if Trump can match Hillary’s ground game – but does he have to?

Hillary has the fund-raising behemoth, king-making Clinton machine behind her and many wonder if Trump can match it. The real question is .. does he have to?

Hillary will easily be able to raise billions and billions of dollars for her campaign from her treasure trove of Wall Street benefactors, Silicon Valley billionaires and Hollywood elites. She will use the money to produce elaborate attack ads, pay staffers and hire minions across the continent. Trump doesn’t have that organization at this time – but he didn’t have it during the primaries either.

That was the argument in the primaries. Cruz had the ground game all staffed and ready. He had offices and representatives in every county of every important primary state. Trump had none of that. There is only one GOP candidate left standing today – the guy that got more air time, bigger crowds and ran a campaign on a slogan and a hat.

The media greatly misunderstands the campaign that Donald is waging. He will not avoid the media as Hillary does. He will not blindly repeat boring talking points. He will be Mr. Donald Trump – and that means free press .. a ton of it.

Trump’s $2 billion in so-called “earned media”—as compared to paid-for media (i.e. advertising)—dwarfs the $746 million in earned media given to Hillary Clinton, the next highest earner.

The media realize that Trump doesn’t have to try to get on the news, he is the news. Donald is the interview that every serious television and radio personality has to get. He will certainly say something that will lead to a story that just about writes itself.

Hillary will be forced to spend a ton of money on crappy negative ads because she does not have the ability to excite anyone but die-hard Democrats. People remember how you make them feel – not just who you are or what you say. Trump makes a large segment of voting-age Americans feel good with his nationalistic-populist messaging. Hillary.. doesn’t make much of anyone feel good about anything.

Trump’s lack of a political fund-raising machine that equals the epic Clinton money factory will not matter. She’ll need every dollar to keep up with the free press that Trump is likely to keep on getting.