<p>President Donald Trump's re-election campaign raised $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, a major haul that was boosted by a surge of donations in the wake of the Democrats' impeachment bid, a senior campaign official said on Thursday.</p>.<p>The sum gives Trump a fundraising edge over a host of Democrats battling for their party's nomination, with the first contest to be held in Iowa in little more than a month. The Democratic nominee will face Trump in the November election.</p>.<p>The Trump campaign begins the 2020 re-election year with cash on hand of $102.7 million, the official told Reuters, an amount that will help his bid to compete in more states beyond those that carried him to his improbable victory in 2016.</p>.<p>Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the campaign felt that Trump's strong fundraising was a direct result of his decision to keep his campaign apparatus alive after taking office in January 2017.</p>.<p>He filed for re-election shortly after assuming office, allowing the campaign to keep functioning, a break from the tradition of winding it down after the election.</p>.<p>The $46 million for the fourth quarter was the amount raised only by the Trump re-election campaign. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence typically headline fundraising events that benefit both the campaign and the Republican National Committee.</p>.<p>The amount raised by the RNC for the fourth quarter of 2019 is expected to be released soon.</p>.<p>In the third quarter, Trump and the RNC had together raised $125 million.</p>.<p>Trump's re-election campaign raised a total of $143 million in all of 2019 and banked $83.4 million of it. It had begun the year with $19.3 million cash on hand.</p>.<p>The $102.7 million in cash on hand exceeds the $81.8 million the campaign of Democratic President Barack Obama had when he began his re-election year at the end of 2011, the official said.</p>.<p>Democratic presidential candidates have also begun releasing fundraising numbers for the fourth quarter, with Pete Buttigieg's campaign announcing on Wednesday that it had raised $24.7 million in the final three months of 2019.</p>.<p>The $46 million raised represented the best fundraising quarter for the Trump campaign in the 2020 cycle.</p>.<p>Trump, a polarizing president popular among Republicans but vilified by Democrats, saw a surge of donations during the effort to oust him through impeachment in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.</p>.<p>Trump's strong quarter "is testament to his wide grassroots support and his stellar record of achievement on behalf of the American people," his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said in a statement.</p>.<p>"Democrats and the media have been in a sham impeachment frenzy and the president’s campaign only got bigger and stronger with our best fundraising quarter this cycle," he added.</p>.<p>"The president’s war chest and grassroots army make his re-election campaign an unstoppable juggernaut." </p>
<p>President Donald Trump's re-election campaign raised $46 million in the fourth quarter of 2019, a major haul that was boosted by a surge of donations in the wake of the Democrats' impeachment bid, a senior campaign official said on Thursday.</p>.<p>The sum gives Trump a fundraising edge over a host of Democrats battling for their party's nomination, with the first contest to be held in Iowa in little more than a month. The Democratic nominee will face Trump in the November election.</p>.<p>The Trump campaign begins the 2020 re-election year with cash on hand of $102.7 million, the official told Reuters, an amount that will help his bid to compete in more states beyond those that carried him to his improbable victory in 2016.</p>.<p>Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the campaign felt that Trump's strong fundraising was a direct result of his decision to keep his campaign apparatus alive after taking office in January 2017.</p>.<p>He filed for re-election shortly after assuming office, allowing the campaign to keep functioning, a break from the tradition of winding it down after the election.</p>.<p>The $46 million for the fourth quarter was the amount raised only by the Trump re-election campaign. Trump and Vice President Mike Pence typically headline fundraising events that benefit both the campaign and the Republican National Committee.</p>.<p>The amount raised by the RNC for the fourth quarter of 2019 is expected to be released soon.</p>.<p>In the third quarter, Trump and the RNC had together raised $125 million.</p>.<p>Trump's re-election campaign raised a total of $143 million in all of 2019 and banked $83.4 million of it. It had begun the year with $19.3 million cash on hand.</p>.<p>The $102.7 million in cash on hand exceeds the $81.8 million the campaign of Democratic President Barack Obama had when he began his re-election year at the end of 2011, the official said.</p>.<p>Democratic presidential candidates have also begun releasing fundraising numbers for the fourth quarter, with Pete Buttigieg's campaign announcing on Wednesday that it had raised $24.7 million in the final three months of 2019.</p>.<p>The $46 million raised represented the best fundraising quarter for the Trump campaign in the 2020 cycle.</p>.<p>Trump, a polarizing president popular among Republicans but vilified by Democrats, saw a surge of donations during the effort to oust him through impeachment in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives.</p>.<p>Trump's strong quarter "is testament to his wide grassroots support and his stellar record of achievement on behalf of the American people," his campaign manager, Brad Parscale, said in a statement.</p>.<p>"Democrats and the media have been in a sham impeachment frenzy and the president’s campaign only got bigger and stronger with our best fundraising quarter this cycle," he added.</p>.<p>"The president’s war chest and grassroots army make his re-election campaign an unstoppable juggernaut." </p>