At the end of May, Donald Trump's campaign had $1.3 million compared with $42 million of rival Hillary Clinton, and this huge gap in fundraising is likely to put Trump at a cash disadvantage heading into the general election this fall, according to a Wall Street Journal report.
Trump's cash deficit makes it extraordinarily difficult for him to rival Clinton's expansive operation across the board, particularly in TV ads and grassroots efforts. Trump has said he will rely heavily on the Republican National Committee. However, the report said, "The party's efforts in battleground states are small versus the Democrats and nonexistent in several blue states, such as California, that Mr. Trump says he wants to put on the map."
The WSJ noted Clinton's super PAC also surpassed Trump's network of outside groups in April. The Clinton group (Priorities USA Action) raised $12.1 million in May — higher than April's figures — and the group has $51 million in the bank.
On the other hand, one of the super PACs backing Trump (Great America PAC) raised $1.4 million in May and had about $500,000 on hand at the end of the month. In addition to Great America PAC, Trump has at least two additional groups backing him.
Trump, who got a late start to fundraising, has recently boosted efforts. He is estimated to have raised about $13 million when he attended a series of fundraisers in Texas in May. Trump "is set to attend a high-dollar fundraiser in New York City on Tuesday, and he has said he may not need to meet the $1 billion fundraising goal Clinton has set for her campaign," according to the report.
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