WASHINGTON — Donald Trump claimed on Wednesday night that he raised $45.5 million in the three months that ended Saturday, three times as much as his leading rival for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Earlier in the day, DeSantis had reported raising $15 million from three committees that he controls.
Neither campaign has submitted its quarterly filing with the Federal Election Commission, so neither those figures nor the details behind them can be verified.
Federal candidates’ filings are not due until Oct. 15.
The coup-attempting former president also claimed to have $37.5 million in the bank, with $36 million of that available for his primary campaign.
The DeSantis campaign’s announcement did not include a cash-on-hand figure at all, but The New York Times, citing campaign officials, reported that it had $13.5 million in the bank with only $5 million of that available for use in the GOP primaries.
Candidates are allowed to accept $3,300 per person for the primary and another $3,300 for the general election, but cannot use any of that second $3,300 in the primary.
Since he started his one successful presidential campaign in 2015, Trump has relied largely on small-dollar donors, most of whom never get close to donating $3,300. DeSantis has raised most of his money from donors giving larger amounts, which would account for his having some $8 million on hand that he cannot use unless he wins the nomination.
The totals released on Tuesday also do not account for money that the super PACs supporting the two candidates have raised. DeSantis entered the year better-funded than Trump, thanks to the $80 million he had in a state political committee, which he had raised in the years before and the several months after his landslide reelection to a second term in Florida. That money was transferred to the Never Back Down super PAC, which has been handling most of DeSantis’ campaign expenses, including events and door-knocking.
But the Florida governor waited until late May to enter the presidential race — after his polling numbers had already been declining from a peak following that reelection victory.
He is now running 43 points behind Trump nationally and 33 points behind him in Iowa — where DeSantis has been focusing most of his efforts of late. In New Hampshire, DeSantis has actually fallen into third place, behind both Trump and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
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