Former President Donald Trump is running low on campaign money following the mid-November launch of his 2024 presidential campaign, according to year-end figures obtained exclusively by NBC News.
Trump, who has been the most prolific fundraiser for the Republican Party in recent years, raised about $9.5 million during the last six weeks of last year through his campaign and a joint fundraising committee, according to one person. familiar with his booty.
The numbers were shared with NBC News ahead of Trump’s presentation of the first campaign finance totals for his third run for president on Tuesday.
Trump’s decision to plunge into the shadow of a tough GOP midterm election, donor fatigue and his upcoming absence from social media giant Facebook all contributed to the cash crunch, Republican operatives said.
In a sign that Trump understands he will need to raise more money faster for what promises to be a competitive GOP primary campaign, his campaign recently expanded its digital fundraising team by hiring the firm Campaign Inbox to request the set of small dollar donors. Campaign officials have long said he would use the early part of this year to build his machine and begin expanding his presence in early primary states.
There are other reasons to think that Trump may beef up his ATM.
It has yet to launch a traditional mail-in fundraising device, which is a time-tested means of raising small contributions in large numbers. And his initial fundraising was limited by his ban from Facebook, a major fundraising platform for him in 2016 and 2020, which expelled him for inciting the mob that ransacked the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. But the company has said that the ban will be lifted.
Trump also hurt himself by announcing his campaign just after the midterm elections, a fundraising deadlock for candidates across the ideological and partisan spectrum.
Eric Wilson, a Republican digital fundraising consultant who is not affiliated with the campaign, said that in addition to announcing at a bad time for fundraising in general, Trump began asking for money amid a round of allegations about disappointing GOP midterm elections, in which some fingers were pointed at the ubiquitous former president.
“If you want a big fundraiser when you announce your campaign, don’t do it right after an election where all your donors are exhausted from the barrage of fundraising requests and you don’t have a great track record to show for it. that,» Wilson said.
That was the reality for Trump, whose affiliated entities actually raised more before his presidential campaign launch than after his big announcement: $11.8 million from Oct. 1 through its Nov. 15 launch, and then just $9. 5 million from November 15 to the end of the year.
The vast majority of post-launch donations to Trump, which largely flowed through the joint fundraising committee, came from low-budget donors, according to the person familiar with the numbers. The 291,617 donors who gave $200 or less accounted for 99.48% of his contributions. On average, his donations totaled $32.32.
It’s also possible that Trump could hire additional vendors for the digital fundraising program, which relies on emails and text messages to solicit donations.
“Everyone wants that account. because he’s the king of small donors,» said a Republican who works in the digital fundraising space, asking to remain anonymous to speak candidly about the former president.
Beyond the digital venture, Trump is expected to build a more traditional fundraising structure to garner donations of $2,900 each for the primary campaign, the maximum allowed by law. Campaigns often take advantage of heavy hitters to pool those donations into high-profile fundraising events.
But it is low-budget donors who have led Trump in the past, sending small chunks of cash to keep their campaigns going. Most important, Wilson said, may be his imminent return to Facebook.
“Nearly 50% of Republican donors log into Facebook every day,” Wilson said, citing data from a survey connected to a non-profit group that he runs. «So if you can’t reach those donors, you’re just at a huge disadvantage in fundraising.»
Cash-strapped Trump hasn’t held one of his signature campaign rallies since announcing his candidacy. He kicked off his travel schedule Saturday with campaign speeches in the early primary states of New Hampshire and South Carolina.