Former President Donald Trump appears to be further cementing his commanding front-runner status in the race for the 2024 GOP presidential nomination, thanks to another large quarterly fundraising haul.
Trump’s presidential campaign announced on Wednesday evening that it raked in a whopping $45.5 million during the July-September third quarter of 2023 fundraising.
The former president’s political team also reported over $37.5 million in their campaign coffers as of the end of last month.
Trump’s fundraising the past three months is up from the roughly $35 million he brought in during the April-June second quarter of fundraising, which nearly doubled his haul from the first quarter of the year.
THIS IS WHAT RON DESANTIS RAISED THE PAST THREE MONTHS FOR HIS PREISDENTIAL CAMPAIGN
Former President Donald Trump speaks during a rally, Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, in Dubuque, Iowa. (AP Photo/Charlie Neibergall)
“The Q3 numbers are even more impressive considering the Summer months are usually when most campaigns experience lagging fundraising support. President Trump and his campaign have completely shattered that notion,” the campaign touted in an email release.
With three and a half months to go until the Iowa caucuses kick off the 2024 GOP presidential nominating calendar, Trump is leagues ahead of his large field of challengers in the latest national polling and crucial early state surveys.
LATEST FUNDRAISING REPORTS COULD BE DEATH KNELL FOR SOME GOP PRESIDENTIAL LONG-SHOTS
Trump’s lead expanded over the spring and summer as he made history as the first former or current president in American history to be indicted for a crime. Trump’s four indictments — including in federal court in Washington D.C. and in Fulton County court in Georgia on charges he tried to overturn his 2020 presidential election loss — have only fueled his support among Republican voters in both polling and fundraising.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a 2024 Republican presidential candidate, speaks at an Iowa Faith and Freedom fall banquet, on Sept. 16, 2023 in Des Moines, Iowa (Fox News – Paul Steinhauser)
Earlier on Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ campaign reported a $15 million fundraising haul the past three months. But DeSantis figures were down from the $20 million he brought in during the second quarter of fundraising.
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Trump’s campaign, in their release, took aim at DeSantis for what they described as an “exponential drop” in the governor’s fundraising.
Fundraising, along with polling, is a key metric in determining a candidate’s strength and grassroots appeal. Fundraising dollars can be used to build up candidate’s campaign structure, grassroots outreach, and get out the vote efforts, and to pay for travel and ads.