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Trump campaign and RNC bring in $105 million in 2nd quarter

Photo: Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images

President Trump's 2020 campaign and the RNC pulled in a combined $105 million fundraising haul during 2019's second quarter, reports the New York Times.

Why it matters: The huge amount is "a testament to the more professional operation that [Trump's] campaign has been running" for this cycle, writes the Times, which notes that the president used personal money to supplement his 2016 campaign.

By the numbers:

  • Trump and his committees brought in $54 million, while the RNC raised $51 million, though Trump's campaign declined to say the total number of individual donors who contributed.
  • Trump's campaign received more online donations during the second quarter of 2019 than it did in the first half of 2018.

The big picture: To put Trump's fundraising in context, during 2011's second quarter, President Obama's re-election campaign raised $47 million and the DNC brought in $38 million.

  • The only 2020 Democrat to release second-quarter fundraising totals so far is Pete Buttigieg, whose campaign said he pulled in $24.8 million, a staggering sum for a candidate who was barely known at the beginning of the cycle.

What's next: The FEC will disclose all presidential candidates' second-quarter fundraising by its July 15 deadline.

Go deeper: Track every 2020 candidate's Q1 fundraising totals

Go deeper

Jonathan Swan, Zachary Basu
10 mins ago - Politics & Policy
Off the Rails

Episode 2: Barbarians at the Oval

Photo illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios. Photo: Jim Watson/AFP/Getty Images

Beginning on election night 2020 and continuing through his final days in office, Donald Trump unraveled and dragged America with him, to the point that his followers sacked the U.S. Capitol with two weeks left in his term. This Axios series takes you inside the collapse of a president.

Episode 2: Trump stops buying what his professional staff are telling him, and increasingly turns to radical voices telling him what he wants to hear.

President Trump plunked down in an armchair in the White House residence, still dressed from his golf game — navy fleece, black pants, white MAGA cap. It was Saturday, Nov. 7. The networks had just called the election for Joe Biden.

Go deeper (5 min. read)Arrow
Sara Fischer, Kyle Daly
55 mins ago - Technology

Fringe right plots new attacks out of sight

Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios

Domestic extremists are using obscure and private corners of the internet to plot new attacks ahead of Inauguration Day. Their plans are also hidden in plain sight, buried in podcasts and online video platforms.

Why it matters: Because law enforcement was caught flat-footed during last week's Capitol siege, researchers and intelligence agencies are paying more attention to online threats that could turn into real-world violence.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow
Sara Fischer, Margaret Harding McGill
2 hours ago - Technology

Kids’ screen time up 50% during pandemic

Illustration: Sarah Grillo/Axios

When the coronavirus lockdowns started in March, kidstech firm SuperAwesome found that screen time was up 50%. Nearly a year later, that percentage hasn't budged, according to new figures from the firm.

Why it matters: For most parents, pre-pandemic expectations around screen time are no longer realistic. The concern now has shifted from the number of hours in front of screens to the quality of screen time.

Go deeper (2 min. read)Arrow