Donald Trump speaks during a town hall event Thursday in Rochester, N.H. (Darren McCollester/Getty Images)

Billionaire developer Donald Trump said Friday he’s willing to spend $100 million or more to capture the Republican presidential nomination.

That’s far less than the $1 billion he previously boasted he would throw into the race, but Trump told The New York Times he won’t need to spend that much of his personal fortune because his unconventional campaign is generating so much free publicity. He said he also would count on financial support from the Republican National Committee should he win the nomination.

Trump’s comments came on the heels of his Republican rivals, led by Carly Fiorina, confronting him repeatedly at the second GOP primary debate Wednesday. A day later, Democrats lambasted Trump for not correcting an attendee at a Thursday town hall meeting who described President Obama as a Muslim.

The Times said Trump sidestepped a question about the Muslim comment Friday, saying: “The bigger issue is that Obama is waging a war against Christians in this country.”