Trump’s 2024 fail: Struggling campaign raised less after presidential announcement than before

Former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign has gotten off to a rocky start, and new fundraising documents obtained by NBC News underline his struggles to raise cash as he attempts a third White House bid.

According to the report, Trump’s 2024 campaign raised just $9.5 million over the final six weeks of 2022, which was actually less money than he raised over the six weeks prior to announcing his candidacy.

GOP operatives who spoke with NBC News said that there were many factors involved in the lackluster numbers, including “Trump’s decision to launch in the shadow of a tough midterm election for the GOP, donor fatigue and his soon-to-end absence from the social media giant Facebook.”

GOP consultant Eric Wilson said that the former president’s decision to beg for cash right after an election where his hand-picked candidates crashed and burned was a particularly ill-advised decision.

“If you want a big fundraising pop when you announce your campaign, you don’t do it right after an election where all your donors are burned out from being bombarded by fundraising asks and you don’t have a great track record to show for it,” he said.

Trump isn’t sitting still, however, as his campaign has recently hired the firm Campaign Inbox in a bid to boost small-dollar donations, and NBC News notes that he hasn’t yet launched a time-tested mail fundraising operation that has hauled in big money for him in the past.