That's how much the U.

S election campaign in 2016 is thought to have cost due to coronavirus this year.

Cycle looks a little different, but huge sums of money are still being racked up ahead of the election.

So what exactly is all that money spent on and who is paying for it?

On average, over the last five elections, more than $2 billion was spent by presidential hopefuls.

More than half of this usually goes towards media exposure.

TV ads are big ticket items.

The Trump campaign reportedly spent millions to run this commercial during the Super Bowl in February, and digital advertising is a growing priority to, as candidates invest tens of million's into targeting voters on social media, then their staff salaries.

Hillary Clinton paid almost $85 million on thousands of employees in 2016.

Campaigning itself is costly, too.

Trump and Clinton spent an estimated $45 million each touring the country in 2016.

The travel expenses are likely down this year due to the pandemic.

And don't forget election merchandise.

Those trump hats, according to 2016 filings, he forked out more than $3 million on them.

As well as electing the president, American voters will also be choosing members of the U.

S Congress.

Hundreds of candidates compete across the country and campaigns, which totaled $4 billion on average over recent election cycles.

So where is all this money coming from?

Most of it is made up of campaign donations.

Around a third of individual donor contributions in 2016 came from everyday Americans, people giving $200 or less.

But a larger chunk comes from more wealthy donors.

A group of fewer than 200 people spent almost $1 billion across all races in the 2016 election alone.

On top of that, presidential candidates and their parties often formed joint fundraising committees, which can generate huge donations.

Thes committees have been reported to host lavish dinners for wealthy donors, raising up to $10 million in a single night.

There are a few rules around campaign donations, for example, on the Americans are allowed to donate.

There is also a limit of $2800 on individual donations that could be given directly to candidates, but money can be donated instead to their party's fundraising pot, for which limits are looser.

Since 2010.

It's also possible for independent groups to raise unlimited sums from companies and individuals to finance political activities, although these groups, known as Super PACs, aren't allowed to coordinate directly with the candidates.

Unlike in many other countries, there's no overall limit on how much can be spent on political campaigns, and U.

S elections are getting ever more expensive.

The 2016 election price tag was double the amount spent in 2000, so the world's most powerful job doesn't come cheap, and this year is no exception, with both presidential candidates spending big in their bids to win the White House.