Trump Shuts Down Big-Money Fundraising Efforts

 

Donald TrumpHillary Clinton has 42 fundraisers planned through Nov. 3. Donald Trump and his surrogates have stopped doing them altogether:

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has effectively shut down his high-dollar fundraising operation for the rest of the campaign, a highly unusual move that deals another serious blow to the GOP’s effort to finance its get-out-the-vote operation before Election Day.

Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s national finance chairman, said in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday that Trump Victory, a joint fundraising committee between the party and the campaign, held its last formal fundraiser on Oct. 19. The luncheon was in Las Vegas on the day of the final presidential debate.

“We’ve kind of wound down,” Mnuchin said. “But the online fundraising continues to be strong.”

This doesn’t just hurt Trump’s electoral efforts, but also the RNC’s efforts at holding on to the House and Senate:

But Trump’s decision effectively turns off one of the main spigots to the Republican National Committee, which collected $40 million through Trump Victory as of Sept. 30. The party has devoted a large share of the funds to pay for its national voter mobilization program to benefit the entire Republican ticket.

…Trump, who did not begin fundraising in earnest until late May, has lagged far behind his Democratic rival. As of Sept. 30, his campaign had raised $219 million to Clinton’s $499 million.

The vast majority of big money donations are funneled through the RNC, whereas online donations go directly to Trump. Is the GOP nominee throwing in the towel, or … what, exactly?

 

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  1. The King Prawn Inactive
    The King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    Jon Gabriel, Ed.: Is the Democrats’ GOP nominee throwing in the towel, or … what, exactly?

    FIFY.

    • #1
  2. Umbra Fractus Inactive
    Umbra Fractus
    @UmbraFractus

    Or he’s a con man who never seriously intended to challenge his good friend, Hillary Clinton. Republicans have been had.

    • #2
  3. The King Prawn Inactive
    The King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    More seriously, what exactly is Trump getting out of the ordeal he’s putting the GOP and the nation through? Sure, his campaign is paying him a lot of money to operate out of Trump Tower, but that’s not even real money for him. It is, however, real money for all those who gave their fives and twenties.

    • #3
  4. Palaeologus Inactive
    Palaeologus
    @Palaeologus

    Perhaps Mexico is going to pay for the GOTV operation.

     

     

    • #4
  5. Dr.Guido Member
    Dr.Guido
    @DrGuido

    …or he’s as irresponsible and nuts as many thought he was from Day 1.Occam’s Razor lives.

    • #5
  6. Paul J. Croeber Inactive
    Paul J. Croeber
    @PaulJCroeber

    I don’t know what to think anymore.  Conventional closing tactics by campaigns can be damned by a Trump candidacy for reasons never elucidated?  Perhaps big money donors see the writing on the wall, but I have sincere doubts about that.

    • #6
  7. The King Prawn Inactive
    The King Prawn
    @TheKingPrawn

    I’ve said since he got the nomination that if he loses it won’t be because he failed to run a conventional campaign, and if he wins it won’t be because he did. He rises or falls solely on his own personality.

    • #7
  8. M. Brandon Godbey Member
    M. Brandon Godbey
    @Brandon

    Turns out Trump was right: the election is rigged for Hillary.  It’s just that he’s doing the rigging.

    #shill2016

    • #8
  9. Quinn the Eskimo Member
    Quinn the Eskimo
    @

    I’m not sure why people are angry at Trump.  People were warned and warned what it’s like to do business with Trump.  He is performing to expectations.

    People who said it would be different this time…you can take a bow.

    • #9
  10. dukenaltum Inactive
    dukenaltum
    @dukenaltum

    In cosmically just universe, Trump would wake up the day after the election in a Mexican Prison with only a Costa Rican Passport.

    • #10
  11. Ward Robles Inactive
    Ward Robles
    @WardRobles

    dukenaltum:In cosmically just universe, Trump would wake up the day after the election in a Mexican Prison with only a Costa Rican Passport.

    In a cosmically just universe, Trump would wake up strapped to a gurney as a replacement for one of the under age undocumented immigrants who supply Hillary Clinton with her weekly blood transfusions.

    • #11
  12. Dbroussa Coolidge
    Dbroussa
    @Dbroussa

    The King Prawn:More seriously, what exactly is Trump getting out of the ordeal he’s putting the GOP and the nation through? Sure, his campaign is paying him a lot of money to operate out of Trump Tower, but that’s not even real money for him. It is, however, real money for all those who gave their fives and twenties.

    that is a good question.  Feeding his ego perhaps.  I think that he ran to feed that ego more than anything and now he is seeing how it is damaging his brand.  I think that he is being used by Steve Bannon to launch a new TV network, but we shall see.

    • #12
  13. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    I don’t understand this criticism. Is it not possible for “big money” donations to be made directly to the Republican party for general party purposes? If it is possible, then what’s the problem?

    Yesterday, y’all complained that the GOP is associated with Trump. Today, you’re upset that he won’t be fundraising for the party?

    • #13
  14. jerseyguy Inactive
    jerseyguy
    @jerseyguy

    Aaron Miller:I don’t understand this criticism. Is it not possible for “big money” donations to be made directly to the Republican party for general party purposes? If it is possible, then what’s the problem?

    Yesterday, y’all complained that the GOP is associated with Trump. Today, you’re upset that he won’t be fundraising for the party?

    Fundraising for downballot candidates is well established practice for the nominee who is always more well known. Don’t act like what Trump is doing has some precedent. It doesn’t. He has zero honor.

    • #14
  15. Valiuth Member
    Valiuth
    @Valiuth

    Isn’t the RNC in charge of his ground game? How is keeping the underfunded going to help him win? They are the ones tasked with getting voters registered and out to the polls to vote for him and down ballot Republicans.

    • #15
  16. Aaron Miller Inactive
    Aaron Miller
    @AaronMiller

    jerseyguy: Fundraising for downballot candidates is well established practice for the nominee who is always more well known.

    For Trump to utilize the attention on him to popularize downballot candidate requires them to be associated with everything Trump’s detractors have bemoaned ad nauseum. If you don’t like him as the party figurehead, why complain that downballot candidates can escape being photographed and interviewed with him? The more separation the better, from the NeverTrump perspective.

    • #16
  17. Palaeologus Inactive
    Palaeologus
    @Palaeologus

    Aaron Miller:

    jerseyguy: Fundraising for downballot candidates is well established practice for the nominee who is always more well known.

    For Trump to utilize the attention on him to popularize downballot candidate requires them to be associated with everything Trump’s detractors have bemoaned ad nauseum. If you don’t like him as the party figurehead, why complain that downballot candidates can escape being photographed and interviewed with him? The more separation the better, from the NeverTrump perspective.

    It’s about fundraising with donors for other candidates and himself, not necessarily photo-ops with other candidates, Aaron.

    At any rate, here’s a non-nefarious, speculative explanation: Trump is 69 years old.

    He has nine rallies between today and Friday. He can’t physically handle both the rallies and fundraisers at this point. He concluded that the rallies were more important.

    Of course his surrogates could still do fundraisers, but maybe fundraisers where he isn’t present (surrogates only) raise squat. Just a guess.

    • #17
  18. BD Member
    BD
    @

    Mickey Kaus: “Seems obvious Schumer’s helping his once & future ally, Rubio, by pulling DSCC $ from foe.”

    On immigration, and on other issues, President Hillary or President Marco, what’s the diff?

    • #18
  19. Umbra Fractus Inactive
    Umbra Fractus
    @UmbraFractus

    Palaeologus: He has nine rallies between today and Friday. He can’t physically handle both the rallies and fundraisers at this point. He concluded that the rallies were more important.

    Yes, better to spend time in his safe space rather than do the work necessary to actually win.

    • #19
  20. Titus Techera Contributor
    Titus Techera
    @TitusTechera

    Umbra Fractus:

    Palaeologus: He has nine rallies between today and Friday. He can’t physically handle both the rallies and fundraisers at this point. He concluded that the rallies were more important.

    Yes, better to spend time in his safe space rather than do the work necessary to actually win.

    The man gave a very good explanation the rest of us have not provided–why I read Ricochet! Not to disrespect the right to be sarcastic, but I think it’s worth considering that the rallies may really be more necessary than the fundraising.

    This would either be because of an expectation of attracting new voters or because of a fear of bleeding voters unless appearances are kept. The latter seems the likelier to me.

    • #20
  21. Palaeologus Inactive
    Palaeologus
    @Palaeologus

    Umbra Fractus:

    Palaeologus: He has nine rallies between today and Friday. He can’t physically handle both the rallies and fundraisers at this point. He concluded that the rallies were more important.

    Yes, better to spend time in his safe space rather than do the work necessary to actually win.

    Look, Trump’s is (at best) an amateurish campaign.

    Say you’re running it right now: do you stiff 20,000-50,000 potential voters who really want to attend any of nine rallies in four swing states, or do you hit up donors?

    Keep in mind you have no ground game, and frankly, no plan for a ground game aside from what the RNC can offer. Consider that the much maligned (somewhat deservedly) ORCA is probably much better than anything currently available.

    Hillary has four rallies at which she is speaking between today and Nov 5th. Consequently, she has plenty of time for rubbing elbows with the rich clowns who will help bankroll her ground game. The Clintons have spent years developing their organization, including the management of her time.

    Obviously, if Trump’s campaign was well organized this would be less of an issue.

    It isn’t. It never was. It never will be.

    • #21
  22. Roberto Inactive
    Roberto
    @Roberto

    Aaron Miller: Yesterday, y’all complained that the GOP is associated with Trump. Today, you’re upset that he won’t be fundraising for the party?

    Interesting point. He has always run as an outsider candidate, he attacks GOP politicos almost as much as his Democrat opponents. One wonders if this is some last hail Mary attempt to put himself forward as the ultimate outsider candidate, “I’m not a D nor an R, I’m the outsider. They all hate me and the feeling is returned.”

    • #22
  23. MarciN Member
    MarciN
    @MarciN

    I think it’s wonderful that the Trump fundraisers have contributed $40 million to the RNC.

    • #23
  24. Palaeologus Inactive
    Palaeologus
    @Palaeologus

    Roberto:

    Aaron Miller: Yesterday, y’all complained that the GOP is associated with Trump. Today, you’re upset that he won’t be fundraising for the party?

    Interesting point. He has always run as an outsider candidate, he attacks GOP politicos almost as much as his Democrat opponents. One wonders if this is some last hail Mary attempt to put himself forward as the ultimate outsider candidate, “I’m not a D nor an R, I’m the outsider. They all hate me and the feeling is returned.”

    Waaaaay too subtle/ understated for Donald Trump.

     

    • #24
  25. Jamie Lockett Member
    Jamie Lockett
    @JamieLockett

    Is he trying to sabotage the GOTV operation to punish Republicans?

    At this point I wouldn’t be surprised if the next Podesta email detailed “Operation Orange Spoiler”.

    • #25
  26. Palaeologus Inactive
    Palaeologus
    @Palaeologus

    Palaeologus:

    Roberto:

    Aaron Miller: Yesterday, y’all complained that the GOP is associated with Trump. Today, you’re upset that he won’t be fundraising for the party?

    Interesting point. He has always run as an outsider candidate, he attacks GOP politicos almost as much as his Democrat opponents. One wonders if this is some last hail Mary attempt to put himself forward as the ultimate outsider candidate, “I’m not a D nor an R, I’m the outsider. They all hate me and the feeling is returned.”

    Waaaaay too subtle/ understated for Donald Trump.

    For a hail Mary, that is.

    Assuming he throws one, Donald’s hail Mary will likely make Aaron Rodgers’s toss against Detroit last year look like my six-year-old trying to get the ball across my yard.

    • #26
  27. EB Thatcher
    EB
    @EB

    I think he has realized that he is not going to win. So why should he help the down ticket races? He is continuing online fundraising, which he uses to pay himself back.  So much for “self-funding.”

    • #27
  28. The Question Inactive
    The Question
    @TheQuestion

    Aaron Miller:I don’t understand this criticism. Is it not possible for “big money” donations to be made directly to the Republican party for general party purposes? If it is possible, then what’s the problem?

    Yesterday, y’all complained that the GOP is associated with Trump. Today, you’re upset that he won’t be fundraising for the party?

    I considered going ahead and supporting Trump around late summer, but backed off because I concluded that Trump would sabotage other Republicans, effectively helping the Democrats as much or more than he was hurting them.  This development seems to support that conclusion.

    • #28
  29. Cato Rand Inactive
    Cato Rand
    @CatoRand

    Thank God Reince Priebus sold his soul to this devil.  Otherwise, where would we be?

    • #29
  30. Valiuth Member
    Valiuth
    @Valiuth

    Titus Techera:

    Umbra Fractus:

    Palaeologus: He has nine rallies between today and Friday. He can’t physically handle both the rallies and fundraisers at this point. He concluded that the rallies were more important.

    Yes, better to spend time in his safe space rather than do the work necessary to actually win.

    The man gave a very good explanation the rest of us have not provided–why I read Ricochet! Not to disrespect the right to be sarcastic, but I think it’s worth considering that the rallies may really be more necessary than the fundraising.

    This would either be because of an expectation of attracting new voters or because of a fear of bleeding voters unless appearances are kept. The latter seems the likelier to me.

    Yet, the money is needed not just for adds, but for paying the staff that will translate Trumps message into actual voter registrations and votes. The rallies build the interest, but the RNC ground game helps to convert it into tangible votes. You really need to do both and I don’t think you can afford to skip either.

    • #30
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