ToplineFormer President Donald Trump was by far the top online Republican fundraiser during the first half of the year, according to reviews of federal findings, with one of his political action committees pulling in more money than any other Republican-affiliated group.Donald Trump, then-President, walks out of White House. He will be leaving Washington on July 19, 2019. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images). Getty ImagesThe Key FactsAccording to the New York Times analysis, the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a shared account between Trump's political action committee and the Republican National Committee, received $34.3 million in the first half 2020. This was according to WinRed, the main online processing site for Republican donations. Trump's political-action committee has 75% of the Trump Make America Great Again Committee fundraising. The RNC gets the remainder. According to the Times, $21 million was also donated by Trump to two other political groups. Trump was able bring in more money than any other traditional Republican fundraising groups, such as the National Republican Congressional Committee (26.7 million), National Republican Senatorial Committee (23 million) and the RNC (19.1 million). According to the Times, the Make American Great Again Committee raised the majority of its money through its recurring donations program. Many supporters are tricked into enrolling through prechecked boxes.Surprising FactAccording to the Times, donations to the Make America Great Again Committee fell by nearly half in the past year. They dropped from $13.8million to $2.6million in June to $13.8 million in June. This was almost entirely due to recurring donations.Important BackgroundTrump is still the Republican Party's dominant political force, despite being out of office for over six months and having been banned from all major social media platforms. Trump has maintained regular contact with Republicans in Congress. Top GOP leaders often travel to South Florida to meet Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort. After his first speech at the Conservative Political Action Conference, on February 28, his influence on the party's finances grew significantly. He encouraged supporters to give directly to his political organizations. According to the Times, the result was the biggest single day of fundraising in the year with $3.5 Million going straight to Trump's political PACs.What to WatchTrump is eligible to run for another term and has stated that he's made a decision about whether he will run in 2024. If he does decide to run, polling indicates that Trump is the overwhelming favorite to win the third straight GOP nomination.Continue readingTrump raises $56 million online in the first half of 2021 (The New York Times).Former Trump Spokesperson: Its 50-50 Trump Runs in 2024 (Forbes).
