As the Democratic presidential nominees prepare to debate, President Donald Trump continues an unprecedented fundraising campaign.
Last week, the crowds lined up for his official 2020 campaign kick-off more than 40 hours in advance of the event. In the week since his official announcement, Trump has been a magnet for donations, raising $36 million in campaign funds, CNBC reports.
President Donald Trump speaks during a rally where he announced his candidacy for a second presidential term at the Amway Center on June 18, 2019 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
None of the other candidates have come close to Trump’s fundraising numbers. The president has brought in about twice as much money in the last week as Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders raised in the first-quarter of 2019 for his presidential campaign.
After a small gathering of around 225 people at the Trump International Hotel in Washington last week, the president managed to leave with $6 million in hand.
The committee responsible for this fundraising campaign is called Trump Victory, and they’re dividing up the funds between the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC).
At the president’s Orlando rally last week thousands watched the event on massive television screens outside the stadium. (RELATED: Michael Moore Warns Dems About ‘The Enormity Of The Fight Ahead’ After Watching Trump Rally)
He had the boisterous audience on its feet and within 24 hours he had turned that enthusiasm into $24.8 million in donations, according to RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, who tweeted that Trump had “raised a record breaking $24.8M in less than 24 hours for his re-election. The enthusiasm across the country for this President is unmatched … ”
@realDonaldTrump has raised a record breaking $24.8M in less than 24 hours for his re-election. The enthusiasm across the country for this President is unmatched and unlike anything we’ve ever seen! #trump2020 #KeepAmericaGreat
— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) June 19, 2019
Trump Victory has no intention of standing still and will continue to amass campaign funds while the large pack of Democratic presidential candidates compete with each other for donations.
“This time next year, we hope to have a huge advantage of money on hand as the Democrats will just be selecting a nominee and will have spent all of their cash to win the nomination,” Roy Bailey, a national finance co-chairman for Trump’s reelection, told CNBC (RELATED: More Women Donated To Trump Campaign In First Quarter Than Any 2020 Democrat)
Trump has been setting aside campaign donations since he became president. He is beginning the 2020 campaign with just over $40 million in the bank, a figure that the Associated Press called “unprecedented” in presidential history.
That’s almost double the $22 million that Bernie Sanders has saved since he lost the 2016 Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton.
Democratic Presidential candidate U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to supporters at Brooklyn College on March 02, 2019 in the Brooklyn borough of New York City. . (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
The same is true for the party committees. While the RNC has $37 million to spend, the Democratic National Committee has amassed just $8 million, according to CNBC.