Trump Camp Shuts Down Major Fundraising For Joint Effort With RNC

Donald Trump reacts during Republican presidential debate at Milwaukee Theatre, Tuesday, Nov. 10, 2015, in Milwaukee. (AP Photo/Jeffrey Phelps)
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The Donald Trump campaign has wound down its major joint fundraising efforts with the Republican National Committee, the campaign’s finance chair confirmed to the Washington Post Tuesday, meaning that for the final stretch of the race the party apparatus will not benefit from the financial flow that typically comes from the top of the ticket.

The Trump campaign said it held its last formal fundraiser nearly a week ago, though it will continue to take in online donations. The Post described the move as “highly unusual” and “a serious blow to the GOP’s effort to finance its get-out-the-vote operation before Election Day.”

The party was receiving a “vast majority” of the major donations made at joint fundraising events, according to the Post, which were held under the banner of the Trump Victory committee. Only 20 percent of online donations made to the joint committee go to the RNC, meanwhile. With the Trump campaign’s ground game appearing to be sparse, most of the Republican get-out-the-vote effort has fallen to the party organizations and down-ballot candidates.

Trump’s finance chair, Steven Mnuchin, told the Post the campaign made the decision so Trump could spend the final weeks appealing directly to voters.

“We have minimized his fundraising schedule over the last month to emphasize his focus on political [events],” Mnuchin said. “Unlike Hillary, who has been fundraising and not out and about, he has constantly been out and about.”

Other sources within the Trump campaign told the Post that it’s possible that Trump surrogates like his children will still hold their own fundraising events, but, according to Mnuchin, “there is virtually nothing planned.”

By contrast, there are 41 major fundraising events on tap for the Clinton campaign before Nov. 3 — many of them featuring top campaign surrogates — in addition to the final fundraising event Clinton herself will appear at Tuesday evening in Miami, according to the Post.

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