President Trump kicked off his 2020 re-election campaign last night, drawing over 10,000 people in an overflow crowd. While certain media outlets are breathlessly pushing historically irrelevant, way too early polling, there’s no question that the enthusiasm of his base is still massive.

For more proof of that, the RNC shared this morning just how much cash Trump raised in the past 24 hours and it’s pretty mind-blowing.

@realDonaldTrump has raised a record breaking $24.8M in less than 24 hours for his re-election. The enthusiasm across the country for this President is unmatched and unlike anything we’ve ever seen! #trump2020 #KeepAmericaGreat

— Ronna McDaniel (@GOPChairwoman) June 19, 2019

How does this compare to the Democrats?

More than any 2020 Dem raised in the entire 1st quarter of the year. https://t.co/QQauLMiDXt

— Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) June 19, 2019

The next closest 24 hour hauls came courtesy of Joe Biden and Bernie Sanders, both of whom brought in right around $6M at their campaign kickoffs. $24.8M vs. $6M. That’s quite the difference, especially when he’s competing with an establishment, big donor candidate like Biden.

What’s this mean? It’s going to take time to play out obviously. I think 2016 showed that having the most money is not a good indication of who will win an election anymore. With that said, it can only help. If Trump is going to prevail again, he’ll need an incredible ground game in states like FL, WI, and NC. While TV ads may not make much of a difference anymore, the ability to mobilize voters is still key.

With the polls holding no predictive value right now and only serving as a strategic guide, if Trump keeps pulling in this kind of money, it’s going to give him a lot momentum heading into the heart of the general election. The landscape is going to change dramatically once a binary choice is laid out and the Democrat can no longer run from their positions.

People laughed Trump’s rallies and ability to garner small money donors in 2016, insisting it all meant nothing. It all ended up meaning something. While Democrats appears to be making the same mistakes of the past, wallowing in their own overconfidence, the Trump campaign has clearly got a plan to capitalize on  what support he has.

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