https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_Trump_presidential_campaign,_2020
The
Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2020 is an ongoing re-election campaign by
President of the United States Donald Trump, who
took office since January 20, 2017.
Trump began his campaign unusually early for an incumbent President of the United States. He began spending for his reelection effort within weeks of his election, and officially filed his campaign with the
Federal Elections Commission on the day of his inauguration. Since February 2017, Trump has
held several rallies and a fundraiser for this campaign. He has visited key electoral states. The campaign has raised funds and run two nationwide advertising campaigns.
...
Trump's predecessors merged their campaign committees into their party's committee following their election victories. Following his 2016 election victory, Trump eschewed this presidential tradition and retained a separate campaign committee. Trump's campaign committee continued raising funds. In December 2016, the campaign raised $11 million.
[12] These moves indicated that Trump was already eying a 2020 run.
[13]
Trump started spending money on the 2020 race on November 24, 2016 (sixteen days after the end of the
2016 election). The earliest campaign disbursement that his committees reported was spent towards the 2020 presidential primaries was for the purchase of a
Delta Air Lines ticket on this date.
[14]
Trump officially filed his reelection campaign with the FEC on January 20, 2017, the day of
his inauguration.
[15][16][17][18] Trump launched his reelection campaign earlier in his presidency than his predecessors did.
Barack Obama,
George W. Bush,
Bill Clinton,
George H. W. Bush and
Ronald Reagan all declared their candidacies for reelection in the third year of their presidencies.
[19][20] Trump filed the papers for his reelection campaign approximately 47 months prior to the date of the election.
[19] In contrast, both Reagan and George H. W. Bush filed approximately twelve months, George W. Bush filed approximately eighteen, and both Clinton and Obama filed approximately nineteen months prior to the date of the election.
[19]
While previous presidents had held rallies in the early days of their presidency to garner support for legislation, such rallies differed from those held by Trump in that they were funded by the White House rather than by campaign committees.
[20][21] One of the advantages of having his campaign committee fund the events is that organizers can more discriminately screen attendees, refusing entry to non-supporters.
[22] Trump's February rally in
Melbourne, Florida was the earliest campaign rally for an incumbent president.
[23][24]
By filing for his campaign as early as he did, Trump gave also himself a head start on fundraising. This can theoretically help him to scare away primary challengers.
[24]
