Trump Scores Big in Fundraising, Will Go into 2020 with 'Unprecedented War Chest'
President Donald Trump’s re-election campaign raked in more than $30 million in the first quarter of 2019, according to campaign filing reports.
Trump’s efforts put him ahead of the two leading Democratic candidates combined in terms of dollars raised. His campaign now has $40.8 million on hand.
The Associated Press dubbed Trump’s fiscal advantage “an unprecedented war chest for an incumbent president this early in a campaign.”
Trump’s campaign said nearly 99 percent of its donations were of $200 or less, with an average donation of $34.26, Fox News reported.
In a second show of support for the president and his party, the Republican National Committee, reported that it brought in $45.8 million in the first quarter.
“Our prodigious fundraising is further proof of President Trump’s clear record of accomplishment on behalf of the American people,” Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement, according to CNN.
“The president is in a vastly stronger position at this point than any previous incumbent president running for re-election, and only continues to build momentum,” Parscale said.
Trump/Pence2020 raised more than $30 million in first quarter, slightly more than Bernie and Kamala combined. Nearly all of it came from donations of less than $200.
Anyone who thinks Trump is toast in 2020 is in denial. https://t.co/IEVRF5SZ3J
— David Cay Johnston (@DavidCayJ) April 15, 2019
Some people:
Donald Trump is vulnerable to a GOP primary challenge.
Reality:
“The haul brings the campaign’s cash on hand to $40.8 million, an unprecedented war chest for an incumbent president this early in a campaign.”https://t.co/bBVDjhDKFy— Drew McCoy (@_Drew_McCoy_) April 14, 2019
At a comparable point in his first term, former President Barack Obama had raised less than $2 million for the 2012 election. Obama went on to raise $720 million.
Trump’s campaign has two major pieces — Trump Victory, for major gifts, and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, which focuses on smaller donations.
Together, they have raised $165.5 million since 2017.
Trump’s “strategy is to raise as much money as possible and to control the national conversation,” said Nathan Gonzales, editor of the nonpartisan political analysis site Inside Elections.
But Gonzales said money will eventually emerge on the Democratic side.
“I don’t think this presidential race is going to be decided by money,” Gonzales said. “The president’s going to have plenty of money, and the Democratic nominee will have plenty of money.”
Democratic donors are currently flocking to South Bend, Indiana, Mayor Pete Buttigieg, who on Sunday raked in $1 million after his official campaign announcement, according to campaign spokeswoman Lis Smith.
“The momentum is clearly on the left,” Jon Soltz, president of VoteVets, a progressive group, said.
Trump’s $30.3 million put him ahead of the two top Democratic candidates in terms of dollars raised — Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who raised $18 million, and Kamala Harris of California, who raised $12 million.
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke of Texas raised $9.4 million.
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