Donald Trump missed millions in potential donations by ignoring online fundraising until recently,
NBC News reports.
The presumptive Republican nominee ended last month with only $1.3 million in his campaign war chest, compared to Hillary Clinton's $42 million. The financial advantage let Clinton, the presumptive Democratic nominee, spend $26 million last month on broadcast ads in battleground states like Florida, Ohio and Colorado to Trump's $0,
NBC News also revealed.
Now the Republican National Committee is trying to alleviate the damage by taking control of the Trump campaign's email marketing. Trump has resisted efforts to modernize his campaign, including abruptly dismissing a key digital strategist only days after hiring him, according to
Politico.
"It's professional malpractice," said Erin Hill, executive director of Democratic online fundraising group Act Blue, to NBC News. "The Trump campaign thinks that in June of an election year they can just turn that on like a spigot, and frankly that's offensive. They've mostly been selling people hats, and treating them as consumers, not as partners."
Trump addressed his lack of fundraising at a campaign event in Maine on Wednesday, dismissing, as he has previously, his need for paid advertising because he gets so much "free media" from broadcasters and news organizations.
"First of all, I don't even know why I need so much money," the former reality television star said. "You know, I go around, I make speeches, I talk to reporters — I don't even need commercials."
But fundraisers and political pros say Trump could have been raking in millions.
"He's the kind of guy who does better by getting the pissed off grannies to send him $20 out of her Social Security check every month," Liz Mair, Republican strategist, told NBC News. "But he hasn't been anywhere close to as concerted about it to date as he should be for a candidate who has his message, his vulnerabilities and his profile."
Trump has remained unabashed about his status as a political beginner.
"This is the first fundraising email I have ever sent on behalf of my campaign. That's right. The FIRST ONE," read a June 21 email, sent over a month after Trump effectively clinched the GOP nomination by winning the Indiana primary on May 3. Such events are among the best times to raise money, according to campaign veterans.
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