On Wednesday night, President Donald Trump held his first re-election fundraiser 40 months before the 2020 election. This comes in stark contrast to the 2016 presidential election, where he did not hold his first big-ticket Fundraising event until five months before election day. This is not a surprise as Trump started raising money months ago and it has been known that he filed for re-election on inauguration day.

What was the fundraising event that Trump held?

President Donald Trump's first big fundraising events for his 2020 re-election was held at the Trump International Hotel in Washington D.C., only a few blocks from the White House.

Around 300 people attended the event, arriving at around 5 p.m. for the $35,000 a plate donor event. The event is expected to make about $10 million dollars for the re-election effort, according to Republican National Committee (RNC) spokeswoman Lindsay Jancek. The first cut of this money will go towards Trump's 2020 re-election, while the rest will be spread between the RNC and other Republican groups.

Protesters but no press at Trump's first fundraiser

Earlier in the day, there was an announcement from the White House that a pool of reporters would be allowed into the event to hear President Donald Trump's remarks. Later in the day deputy press secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in an email that a reversal was made due to confusion within the RNC and last-minute logistical challenges.

This change breaks the tradition that President Barack Obama had of letting reporters come into fundraising events to hear the remarks that he made to donors.

On the short drive to his high-class fundraising event, President Trump's motorcade was met by protesters outside the hotel holding up a variety of signs, that said "Health care not tax cuts", as well as a mock effigy of him.

The protesters also engaged in raucous chants of "Shame!"

Trump's early fundraising haul

This historically early fundraising by President Donald Trump has brought in a lot of money. In the first three months of 2017, his campaign raised over $7 million by way of small donations and Trump-themed merchandise sales. The RNC has already raised around $62 million by the end of May and has raised more money online this year than they did in 2016. The re-election money President Trump has made has also been used to hold five political rallies, which helps him keep connected with his seemingly unwavering voting base.
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