Donald Trump Has 'No Intention' of Paying Himself Back for Campaign Loans

— -- Donald Trump says the money he personally kicked in to fuel his presidential campaign is money he'll never get back.

"I have absolutely no intention of paying myself back for the nearly $50 million I have loaned to the campaign,” Trump said in a statement this afternoon.

“This money is a contribution made in order to Make America Great Again.”

Trump has said from the beginning of his campaign that he would self-fund it and would not accept or seek out contributions. Since defeating his GOP rivals, however, Trump has said he will fundraise in order to build a war chest to take on the Democratic nominee.

He has touted his "self-funding" on the stump for the past 11 months.

In a video his campaign posted previously to Facebook, Trump said spending his own money will keep him from becoming indebted to special interests. "It's something I don't know that I'm given proper credit for, but you know what, I feel better about it because nobody has me,” he says. “I'm working for you."

In recent weeks, Trump's campaign has built a finance team with well-known Republican fundraisers. Sources within the Trump campaign expect he will begin fundraising events within the next few weeks.