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Trump Raises $105 Million, Much of It in Small Donations Trump and R.N.C. Raised $105 Million in 2nd Quarter, Outdoing Obama
(about 3 hours later)
WASHINGTON — President Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee on Tuesday said they had raised $105 million in the second quarter of this year, outraising President Barack Obama in the equivalent period during his re-election campaign in 2012 and signaling that Mr. Trump will have vastly more resources than he did in 2016. WASHINGTON — President Trump’s re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee on Tuesday said they had raised $105 million in the second quarter of this year, dwarfing what President Barack Obama raised in the equivalent period during his re-election campaign.
The campaign and the R.N.C. said they had a combined $100 million in cash on hand, and that they had raised more money online in the second quarter than in the first half of 2018. Mr. Trump and his committees raised $54 million, they said, and the R.N.C. raised $51 million. The staggering figure can be plowed into television and digital advertising, get-out-the-vote efforts and other activities related to the 2020 election. The campaign and the R.N.C. said they had a combined $100 million in cash on hand, and that they had raised more money online in the second quarter than in the first half of 2018. The staggering total figure can be plowed into television and digital advertising, get-out-the-vote efforts and other activities related to the 2020 election.
Campaign officials said they received 725,000 individual donations online, with supporters giving an average of $48. In some cases, they said, people may have donated more than once. Mr. Trump and his committees raised $54 million, they said, and the R.N.C. raised $51 million. The campaign officials did not say how many individual donors had contributed, or how many gave money in increments of $200 or less. The official report, which will include spending, will be filed with the Federal Election Commission on July 15.
An R.N.C. official said the small-dollar enthusiasm for Mr. Trump was something unprecedented in Republican politics, and noted that for the first time ever, the R.N.C. attracted a larger share of donations under $200 than the Democratic National Committee. Mr. Trump has not sought to restrict who can give money to his campaign.
At the same time, as president, Mr. Trump also has command of the party’s donor base in a way he never did in 2016. The official said the R.N.C. also saw a large uptick in traditional party donors, which increased to more than one-third of the committee’s total fund-raising since last cycle. The president’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, called it a “massive fund-raising success” based on enthusiasm for Mr. Trump’s record, which he said no Democratic candidate could match.
The R.N.C. has taken the lead on fund-raising for Mr. Trump’s re-election, overseeing the digital efforts and major donor events. Ronna McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, is known as an aggressive fund-raiser.
The official report on the Mr. Trump’s campaign finances for the quarter, which will include spending, will be filed with the Federal Election Commission on July 15.
In 2011, during the same period, Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign raised $47 million, and the Democratic National Committee brought in $38 million, Jim Messina, the Obama campaign manager, said at the time. The comparisons are not perfect because a 2014 Supreme Court case and other legal changes allowed candidates and parties to form joint fund-raising committees that can accept single donations of hundreds of thousands of dollars.
The president’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, called the $105 million a “massive fund-raising success” based on enthusiasm for Mr. Trump’s record, which he said no Democratic candidate could match. Mr. Parscale has said in the past that his goal is to raise $1 billion for the cycle, between the various committees supporting Mr. Trump’s re-election.
The early fund-raising totals are also a testament to the more professional operation operating on Mr. Trump’s behalf both at the R.N.C. and his campaign headquarters in Arlington, Va. It is a sharp departure from how he ran his 2016 general election campaign as an underdog taking on a better-funded Democratic opponent, Hillary Clinton.
In that race, Mr. Trump funded his campaign with $66.1 million of his own money. He raised $86.7 million from small donors who gave $200 or less, and $46.9 million from large individual contributors, according to campaign filings. In total, including his own money, Mr. Trump raised $350.7 million, far less than Mrs. Clinton’s campaign, which raised $585.7 million.
The main impact of his early fund-raising is the ability to stockpile large bundles of cash while Democrats are spending their money fighting each other.
“Democratic fund-raising is getting a lot of attention, but the Trump campaign is slowly amassing a huge war chest, and unlike theirs, it won’t be spent trying to win a primary,” said Matt Gorman, a former adviser to the Jeb Bush and Mitt Romney presidential campaigns. “Events like debates or announcements that are cash cows for Democrats are just as helpful to Republican fund-raising, too.”
[Pete Buttigieg’s $24.8 million second-quarter total is the latest evidence that he has gone from a long shot to a serious candidate for the nomination in a matter of months.][Pete Buttigieg’s $24.8 million second-quarter total is the latest evidence that he has gone from a long shot to a serious candidate for the nomination in a matter of months.]
Ms. McDaniel said the fund-raising allowed the committee to “identify troves of new supporters online and continue investing in our unprecedented field program.” Ronna McDaniel, the chairwoman of the R.N.C., said the fund-raising allowed the committee to “identify troves of new supporters online and continue investing in our unprecedented field program.”
The committee and campaign plan to invest heavily in online advertising, the R.N.C. official said, in order to help build out their email and cellphone lists. So far, the official said, the R.N.C. has spent close to $20 million on prospecting for new donors and is looking to spend more. For a president who values large numbers and has told aides that he wants record-breaking fund-raising reports, the figures are expected to be particularly rewarding.
Mr. Trump’s campaign relied primarily on the Trump family to solicit online donations, blasting out appeals from Mr. Trump, as well as his adult sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr., his daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, or Mr. Parscale himself. One fund-raising email featured a pitch from Newt Gingrich, the former House speaker. And the amount of money that was both raised and stored away will be daunting for Mr. Trump’s eventual challenger, underscoring the benefits of incumbency.
Previous reports with the F.E.C. show that the Trump campaign and the party committee have spent roughly $17 million on legal fees, some of them related to campaign compliance. Other expenses relate to legal fees for members of the Trump family or officials who were connected to congressional inquiries and the special counsel’s investigation. In 2011, during the same period, Mr. Obama’s re-election campaign raised $47 million, and the Democratic National Committee brought in $38 million, Jim Messina, the Obama campaign manager, said at the time.
Even with a heavy legal overhead, the amount of money that was both raised and stored away will be daunting for Mr. Trump’s eventual challenger, underscoring the benefits of incumbency. Mr. Trump’s fund-raising haul is a testament to the more professional operation that his campaign has been running, primarily out of Arlington, Va. In 2016, Mr. Trump poured millions of dollars of his own money into his campaign. But he also raised a considerable amount from small donors online.
This time around, as president, he also has command of the party’s donor base in a way he never did in 2016. And Ms. McDaniel, the Republican National Committee chairwoman, is known as an aggressive fund-raiser.
The Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., announced on Monday that he had raised $24.8 million in the second quarter, which was seen as a stunning number for a candidate who was relatively unknown six months ago.The Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., announced on Monday that he had raised $24.8 million in the second quarter, which was seen as a stunning number for a candidate who was relatively unknown six months ago.
Mr. Buttigieg has impressed a number of the party’s more traditional donors, enhancing his fund-raising, even as more prominent candidates jostle to overtake the front-runner, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.Mr. Buttigieg has impressed a number of the party’s more traditional donors, enhancing his fund-raising, even as more prominent candidates jostle to overtake the front-runner, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Trailing Mr. Buttigieg was Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who announced his quarterly totals on Tuesday. Mr. Sanders’s campaign said he had raised $18 million in the past three months.Trailing Mr. Buttigieg was Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who announced his quarterly totals on Tuesday. Mr. Sanders’s campaign said he had raised $18 million in the past three months.
Other campaigns in the large Democratic field have yet to announce fund-raising for the quarter, although some saw an increase after the first primary debate, which was held over two nights in Miami last week.Other campaigns in the large Democratic field have yet to announce fund-raising for the quarter, although some saw an increase after the first primary debate, which was held over two nights in Miami last week.
Senator Kamala Harris, the California Democrat, said she had raised $2 million in the 24 hours after her appearance in the debate, during which she confronted Mr. Biden, head-on over his past statements praising segregationist senators.Senator Kamala Harris, the California Democrat, said she had raised $2 million in the 24 hours after her appearance in the debate, during which she confronted Mr. Biden, head-on over his past statements praising segregationist senators.
Aides to Mr. Biden, whose debate performance was widely criticized, said he had also seen a fund-raising bump in the hours after the event, but they did not release a number.Aides to Mr. Biden, whose debate performance was widely criticized, said he had also seen a fund-raising bump in the hours after the event, but they did not release a number.