President Trump and the RNC have already raised $43 million for the 2020 election

President Trump's presidency has yet to hit the 100-day mark, but Federal Election Commission reports released Friday night indicated his re-election campaign fundraising is already in full swing.

The president and the Republican National Committee together raised $42.6 million toward the 2020 race in the first quarter of 2017, substantially from small donors giving $200 or less. During a comparable period in 2009, then-President Obama and the Democratic National Committee raised just $15.8 million.

The president's fundraising is going gangbusters significantly because he has not stopped campaigning since taking office, sending a steady barrage of email solicitations hawking branded merchandise and surveys soliciting supporters' input.

The Week

Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

SUBSCRIBE & SAVE

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Join more than 350,000 subscribers and keep yourself informed with a selection of The Week’s most interesting, enlightening and entertaining stories - plus daily puzzles.

Sign up

Politico reports that three Trump re-election committees, which together raised $13.2 million in the first quarter — Donald J. Trump for President, Trump Victory, and Trump Make America Great Again Committee — spent nearly half a million at Trump companies, "including $274,000 in rent for the Trump Tower office space and $61,000 at Trump golf clubs." Meanwhile, firms owned by White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon and social media director Dan Scavino Jr. were paid $28,000 and $14,500, respectively.