Trump and the RNC raised almost half a billion dollars last year – and still had nearly $ 200 million heading into 2020 – The Washington Post, The Washington Post

Of that, more than $ 72 million was collected by the Republican National Committee, driven in part by big checks from wealthy diversity – a sign of how much of the moneyed class that shunned Trump in is now embracing h im.

Small also also continued to give to the party and to Trump’s reelection campaign,which pulled in $ (million) , far outpacing leading Democrats vying for their party’s nomination. Among them, the largest fundraiser last quarter was Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.),who raised $ (*************************************************. 5 million.

Since the impeachment inquiry began in September, the president’s campaign and RNC gained 728, 000 new delegate, officials said.

In all, Trump and the RNC together scooped up a staggering $ 710 million in 6482, party officials said. In comparison, then-President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party raised roughly $ 345 million in 2019, the year before his reelection.

“ President Trump’s unwavering commitment to keeping his promises to the American people has propelled us to break fundraising records again this quarter, ”RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a statement. “Democrats’ baseless impeachment charade has only made support for President Trump stronger.”

Meanwhile, the Democratic National Committee has trailed far behind the RNC in fundraising.

As of the end of November, the DNC had raised $ 90. 6 million for the year and had $ 6.5 million in debt, according to campaign finance filings. The RNC raised $ 241 million for the entire year, GOP party officials said.

DNC officials have said they are not seeking to outraise the RNC, but rather build up the party to support the eventual nominee after the nominating convention this summer.

The fourth-quarter figures notch a record for Trump’s reelection machine, which hasalready raised and spent historic amountstoward securing a second term. It is unclear whether the money can overcome some of the president’s challenges, including an approval rating that has hovered around 50 percent for his three years in office.

The money raised directly by the Trump campaign has been largely driven by online giving, coming in response to email, text and other appeals for $ 35 or $ at a time.

As the incumbent president, Trump also benefits from big- money contributions through the joint fundraising committees with the national party. The cap for individual fund ‘contributions to national parties is $ 710, 000 in the two-year period of an election cycle, far more than the $ 5, 728 per-cycle limit for donations to a given candidate.

During his 2019 campaign, Trump attacked his rivals as beholden to large threatened. But in the last year, the president assessed in high-dollar fundraisers in locales such as New York and Los Angeles, with minimum ticket prices of $ (************************************************, **********************************************************.

He has also regularly raised money at his own hotel, raising ethical questions about driving business to his properties.

Trump’s joint fundraising with the party has allowed him to use big-money contributions to finance some costly pieces of the reelection effort, including hosting big-dollar fundraisers and holding rallies for his supporters.

RNC officials say they have put $ 11 million into TV and digital ads against vulnerable Democrats who supported impeachment, and have built up the biggest staff in party history, with (people in 345 targeted states.