BY KATHRYN WATSON, CBS NEWS
President Trump’s reelection campaign says it raked in $24.8 million in 24 hours on the day he marked the launch of his bid to keep the White House — a sizable figure for a campaign war chest that already far surpasses any of his Democratic opponents.
The fundraising figures come as Mr. Trump’s campaign manager, Brad Parscale, claims Mr. Trump would win the 2020 presidential race in an “electoral landslide” as of today, despite internal and independent polls that show Vice President Joe Biden and other Democrats easily defeating Mr. Trump. Parscale told CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett in an interview at Mr. Trump’s Orlando rally Tuesday that raising $25 million was the goal for the day.
“@realDonaldTrump has raised a record breaking $24.8M in less than 24 hours for his re-election,” Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel tweetedWednesday morning. “The enthusiasm across the country for this President is unmatched and unlike anything we’ve ever seen! #trump2020 #KeepAmericaGreat”
Trump campaign communication director Tim Murtaugh tweeted, “Do the math: that’s more than a million dollars an hour for an entire day.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign raised $30 million in the first quarter of 2019, for additional perspective. Technically, Mr. Trump launched his reelection campaign on January 20, 2017, the day he was sworn into office. That’s when he filed for reelection with the Federal Election Commission.
As CBS News has reported, Democrats fear Mr. Trump’s fundraising capabilities, particularly with the field divided among so many candidates.
Mr. Trump has said reported internal polls that show him trailing former Vice President Joe Biden in key states, Florida included, were non-existent or inaccurate. In his interview with CBS News, Parscale insisted current methodology is unable to accurately capture the sentiment and likely voting habits of the American populace.
“I just think the country is too complex now to call a couple hundred people and ask them what they think,” Parscale said. “There are so many ways and different people who show up and vote now. The way turnout works now. The abilities we have now to turn out voters. The polling can’t understand that. And that’s why the polling was so wrong in 2016. It was 100% wrong. Nobody got it right — not one public poll. The reason why — it’s not 1962 anymore.”
First published on June 19, 2019 / 1:01 PM
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