While most democrats did their best to ruin the birthday of US President Donald Trump on Twitter by posting pictures of former president Obama on Trump’s 74th, grass root supporters donated a whooping $14 million to the re-election bid of the Republican US President.
This was revealed by the Republican National Committee and the Trump campaign organisation which posted the total amount realized from donated funds on Sunday.
According to a report by Fox News, the sum raised represents the largest online fundraising ever by a presidential candidate, smashing Trump’s previous record of $10 million on October 19, 2016.
The latest highlights the massive funding the Republicans and Trump have in their corner compared to Democrats holdings which are dwarfed in comparison. Asides from the huge online donations, Trump and the Republican party have roughly $255 million at hand compared with Joe Biden and the Democrats with about $100 million.
The competitive nature of the Democrat primaries did not allow the party focus on public donations for weeks while the RNC alongside the members of the Trump Make America Great Again Committee and the Donald J. Trump for President, INC. (DJTP) received an average of $46 in gifts online as President Trump turned 74.
According to an RNC Chairwoman, Ronna McDaniel, Enthusiasm for the US President is what motivates Americans to donate so much to his cause.
“Republicans are thinking smarter digitally and harnessing support and energy for President Trump to up our online fundraising game and outwork, outdo, and outmaneuver the Democrats at every turn,” she said.
The Trump campaign recorded its largest donations within a 24 hour period when the president launched his re-election campaign in 2019. Nearly $25 million was donated in a single day. Asides from the birthday windfall, the RNC/Trump Campaign online birthday card received 1 million signatures.
While Democratic Candidate, Joe Biden continues to lead in most national polls, Trump’s strategy has been to hit the campaign aggressively in the coming months putting his first campaign rally for the coming weekend.
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In contrast, Joe Biden has employed live stream tactics which has been hindered by lots of technical glitches and have attracted fewer number of supporters so far with polls seeming to reflect what Trump has described as an ‘enthusiasm gap’.
An ABC News/Washington Post poll earlier in the year record 53% of Trump supporters said they were very enthusiastic about their support of the President unlike 24% of Biden’s supporters who say they are also enthusiastically behind their preferred candidate.
According to Trump campaign manager, Brad Parscale;
“The grassroots support behind President Trump’s reelection is something no campaign has ever seen. Just as more than a million people have registered for tickets to the President’s rally this weekend [in Oklahoma], they are also donating to help his campaign in record numbers.
There is an enthusiasm gap – it is real and it is wide. President Trump’s supporters would run through a brick wall to vote for him. Nobody is running through a brick wall for Joe Biden.”
Some of Biden’s supporters have also expressed their understanding of the Enthusiasm issue in the campaigns. A top Biden campaign official, Terry McAuliffe said recently in a meeting of Virginia Democrats that it was better that Biden remained out of the spotlight; something lost leading democrats also agree to. This had come after Biden made a number of gaffes after appearing in public including a live radio program where he said African Americans who support Trump are not black enough.
Trump’s Campaign and the RNC celebrated what they called a summer kickoff with a call to Action in states across the country. According to the RNC;
“Volunteers across the country were coming out to show their support and “celebrate [Trump’s] birthday by knocking on doors (in states that allowed) and making phone calls.”