US President Donald Trump's reelection campaign reports it has been awash with donations that have surpassed the $30 million milestone in the first quarter of the year. His likely Democratic rivals are lagging far behind.
According to the data provided by Trump's reelection campaign on Sunday, it has raked in over $30 million in the first three months of 2019 alone and now has some $40.8 million at its disposal. The fundraising effort relied heavily on grassroots donors, with some 99 percent of the contributions being under $200, the report said. The average donation stands at $34.26.
Trump formally announced his reelection bid just a month into his term, earlier than any president in history. Since then, he has been hopping from one Make America Great Again rally to another and firing up his base.
Trump's own fundraising efforts have been coupled with those of the Republican National Committee, which has attracted some $45.8 million in the first quarter and unlike the Democratic National Committee, is far from being in debt.
While the Trump is currently the sole contender from his party, the Democratic party presidential roster keeps expanding, and already includes more than a dozen candidates. Together they form the most diverse fields in terms of race, gender, sexual orientation and the like, if not in terms of political agenda.
The race for the Democratic nomination might be in full swing, but their fundraising numbers are bleak in comparison to Trump's.
Left-leaning veteran Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, who emerged as an early frontrunner, has raised over $18 million – though he had stunned observers early on, raking in a whopping $6 million in the first 24 hours after announcing his campaign late February.
According to the latest Morning Consult poll, Sanders leads the race with 23 percent, ahead of Sen. Kamala Harris of California and her 9 percent, but is trailing behind former Vice President Joe Biden (32 percent) who has yet to announce his highly-expected bid for office. The pack are followed by Beto O'Rourke, who has 8 percent of Democratic voter support.
Harris has amassed $12 million in donations, while O'Rourke has collected some $9.4 million.
The report on Trump's fundraising success have been met with doubts and disbelief by the anti-Trump resistance crowd, and understandably cheered on by his supporters.
