• President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign amassed $30 million in the first quarter of 2019, the campaign told news outlets Sunday.
  • The campaign now has $40 million on hand to fund the president’s reelection, with a further $46 million raised by the Republican National Committee.
  • The campaign said most of its money was raised by donations of $200 or less, according to the Associated Press.
  • Trump’s campaign manager described the president as “in a vastly stronger position at this point than any previous incumbent president.”
  • Breaking with precedent, Trump began his reelection campaign months after taking office.
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President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign amassed a huge $30 million war chest in the first three months of 2019, with the sum equaling that raised by the top two 2020 Democratic challengers combined.

Having also raised $10 million at the end of 2018, the Trump campaign told news outlets Sunday that it had $40 million cash on hand, with a further $45 million raised by the Republican National Committee in the first quarter.

The sum starkly highlights the financial advantage the Trump campaign has over the jostling crowd of Democrats seeking to take on the president in 2020.

The top two Democratic candidates in terms of fundraising, Sens. Bernie Sanders of Vermont and Kamala Harris of California, raised $30 million combined in the quarter. Sanders raised $18.2 million, compared with $12 million for Harris.

More Democrats are expected to reveal their first-quarter fundraising sums Monday, the deadline for Federal Election Commission fundraising and spending disclosures.

Trump's 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, told the Associated Press that Trump was building pace for his reelection fight.

Parscale said Trump was in "a vastly stronger position at this point than any previous incumbent president running for reelection and only continues to build momentum."

The sum is not unprecedented, with President Barack Obama having gathered $47 million for his reelection campaign three months after launching his bid for a second term in April 2011, The New York Times reported.

The Trump campaign aims to break $1 billion in funding, matching the amount raised by Obama in his 2012 campaign.

The campaign said 99% of the money was amassed from donations of under $200, with the average donation about $34. Democratic candidates have also been keen to stress their reliance on small-sum grassroots donations.

Breaking with precedent, Trump began his campaign for reelection only months after taking office, and his speeches at raucous rallies, where he vents against enemies and whips up his political base, have become a mainstay.

Trump funded the initial stages of his 2016 presidential campaign from his own pocket, but he drew on RNC funds after securing the GOP nomination. Aides do not expect the president to use his own money to fund his reelection campaign, the AP said.