Trump helped the Republican Party raise $56 million online in the first half of 2021

Trump raised $56 million online in the first half of 2021, more than any other Republican.
The sum reflects the former president's continued dominance of GOP politics.
A large chunk of the money came from recurring payments, which the party has reportedly halted.
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Former President Donald Trump helped the Republican Party raise $56 million online during the first half of 2021, a clear reflection of his continued dominance within the party.

Trump helped the GOP raise the substantial sum between January 1 and June 30, which was disclosed in campaign filings on Friday, according to The New York Times.

The former president raised more money than any other Republican through WinRed, the GOP's fundraising platform that launched in 2019 to counter ActBlue, the highly successful Democratic platform, according to federal records.

Since ActBlue's founding in 2004, nearly $8.9 billion has been raised on the platform for Democratic and Democratic-aligned candidates.

Trump's fundraising haul includes $34.3 million via a shared account with the Republican National Committee (RNC), which is also known as the "Trump Make America Great Again Committee," according to The Times. Much of the money raised by the committee was generated through a recurring donation program, where supporters made repeated payments, per The Times.

A Times investigation from April revealed how the program caused a series of fraud complaints and refund requests, due to many respondents unintentionally signing up for recurring payments. As of July, GOP officials have halted the withdrawals, according to an individual familiar with the situation who spoke to The Times.

The former president also raised more than $21 million which was funneled into two political action committees (PACs) that he oversees.

Trump's fundraising slowed as the months passed by; after the January 6 Capitol riot and during his second impeachment trial in February, he raised $13.8 million, but that number had declined to $2.6 million by June.

The second-most dominant fundraiser was Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, a potential 2024 presidential contender who gave the GOP response to President Joe Biden's first joint address to Congress in late April. He raised $7.8 million online.

Fundraising has been more urgent than usual for the GOP as the party ramps up efforts to regain control of Congress in the 2022 midterm elections and prepare for the 2024 presidential election.

Trump has not yet confirmed a final decision on whether he will pursue another White House bid in 2024.

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