Trump Campaign Raised $34M in Early 2023

Facts

• Former Pres. Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign over the weekend filed its latest fundraising report to the Federal Election Commission and revealed it has raised $34M in 2023, including $18.8M over the first three months of the year.¹
• Trump’s campaign said approximately $4M of the total was collected immediately after he was indicted in New York on March 30, and $15.4M was brought in from the indictment through the April 15 filing deadline. Trump pleaded not guilty to 34 counts of falsifying business documents brought by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.²
• According to the filing, these funds came from two entities: 'Donald J. Trump for President 2024' and the 'Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee.'³
• The data shows nearly 98% of donations since the indictment came from donors who gave less than $200, and 24% was from first-time Trump donors. The average donation over the period was less than $50.⁴
• Meanwhile, former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley, another candidate for the Republican nomination, declared raising $5.1M in the year's first quarter.⁵
• In addition, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who hasn’t officially declared his candidacy, reportedly has access to at least $110M raised by allied committees, including $80M from the 'Never Back Down' Political Action Committee.⁶

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²The Hill, ³FOX News, ⁴Bloomberg, ⁵Politico and ⁶Newsmax.

Narratives

• Pro-Trump narrative, as provided by The Epoch Times. It’s full steam ahead for Trump to secure the Republican nomination, and his campaign has Democratic Attorney General Bragg to thank for a lot of his success. Trump was already crushing DeSantis and Haley in the polls, and now because of the politically-motivated indictment, Trump’s fundraising is on a roll. A return to the White House is within reach.
• Democratic narrative, as provided by NBC. Trump shouldn’t celebrate too much. His ravenous base might’ve been energized into donating more in the weeks since his indictment, but there’s no telling if the increased fundraising has staying power. Trump's campaign’s average weekly haul is at the same level it was shortly after the 2022 midterms — a sign it could flatten out after the initial outrage subsides.

Predictions