President Donald Trump and the Republican Party raised a whopping $105 million in the second quarter as they prepare for a tough bid to keep the White House in 2020.
The president's campaign and his joint fundraising committees with the GOP took in $54 million during the period, the Trump campaign said Tuesday. Meanwhile, the Republican National Committee raised $51 million.
The massive haul gives Trump and the GOP a head start over the president's eventual Democratic challenger. Roughly two dozen Democratic candidates are scrapping for support — and dividing donors — in the early days of the party's 2020 presidential primary.
The Trump campaign ended June with $56 million on hand — a significant store to dip into as he makes his case for a second term in the White House. The Trump campaign will likely push the cash into voter engagement on digital platforms, social media and television as the election draws closer.
For comparison, President Barack Obama's reelection campaign reported about $46 million in receipts in the second quarter of 2011. It had about $18.8 million on hand at the time.
Trump starts with a significant edge over his potential competitors. For instance, Pete Buttigieg — who has ranked within the top five in most recent national polls of the Democratic primary — raised $24.8 million in the second quarter. He finished June with $22.6 million on hand — less than half of what Trump had.
Trump may need every dollar in what could prove a competitive reelection bid. Early polls have found Trump either trailing or locked in close contests with Democratic contenders in swing states such as Pennsylvania, Florida and North Carolina. Former Vice President Joe Biden and Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have generally fared the best against Trump in early surveys.
The president decried polling after leaked internal surveys from earlier this year found him trailing Biden in 11 important states. Trump claimed last month that only "Fake Polls show us behind the Motley Crew" of Democratic candidates.