Election money race takes off as Trump raises whopping $65 million in March after daughter-in-law Lara took over at Republican National Committee: Former president set to haul in another $43 million in biggest fundraising event in history this weekend

The Republican National Committee announced Donald Trump and aligned GOP groups brought in a whopping $65.6 million in March as the presidential money race for the general election heats up.

The ex-president's campaign and committees supporting his White House bid more than doubled their combined available cash on hand from the end of February to the end of March.

The RNC said the ex-president and aligned groups ended last month with more than 93.1 million cash on hand. 

It comes after Trump loyalist Michael Whatley was elected chairman of the RNC and Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump was elected co-chair on March 8.

The ex-president and RNC also formalized a joint fundraising deal last month that would allow Trump and Republicans to take in hundreds of thousands of dollars more per donor ahead of the general election.

The RNC announced Trump and aligned groups raised $65.6 million in March bringing their cash on hand total to more than $93 million combined at the end of last month

'President Donald J. Trump has again created a fundraising juggernaut among Republicans. While he has been the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party for less than a month, the RNC and Trump campaign are one unified operation and focused on victory,' said RNC Chairman Michael Whatley in a statement.

'We’re raising funds and making strategic investments to get out the vote and protect the ballot. We are going to win BIG in just 31 weeks,' he added.

The boosted GOP war chest comes ahead of a mega donor fundraiser for Trump and Republicans on Saturday hosted by billionaire John Paulson in Palm Beach, Florida. 

Michael Whatley and Lara Trump were elected chairman and co-chair of the Republican National Committee on March 8

Billionaire John Paulson with girlfriend Alina De Almeida. The couple is hosting a mega fundraiser for Trump on Saturday in Palm Beach, FL

The ex-president is set to rake in $43 million at the fundraiser, according to an RNC official. Tickets for the event go for as much as $824,600 for a seat at Trump's table.

That fundraiser is expected to surpass the more than $26 million that Biden and Democrats recently brought in at a Radio City Music Hall fundraiser in New York City last month featuring Biden alongside former Democratic Presidents Obama and Clinton.

The Republican March fundraising was a seismic shift from the ex-president and Republican fundraising efforts through February.

A source close to the Biden campaign said it looks like the Trump team is hiding the ball on how his campaign is being funded, noting the announcement on Wednesday did not include details on the grassroot versus high dollar split. 

They suggested the haul is being driven by maxing out ultra-rich donors. He can't go back to the donors, and relying this early on high-dollar alone is not sustainable for when they need money later in the campaign, the source said.

Overall, the Republican presidential hopeful still trails behind President Biden when it comes to campaign cash and remains hampered by legal woes.

Biden finished February with $155 million cash on hand to Trump's less than $42 million

President Biden with former Presidents Obama and Clinton at a Radio City Musical Hall fundraiser in New York City that brought in more than $26 million on March 28.

At the end of February, Biden's campaign announced the president and Democrats brought in a combined $53 million in February and had more than $155 million cash on hand at the end of the month.

By comparison, the Trump campaign and Republicans had a combined $41.9 million cash on hand at the end of February and brought in a combined $20.3 million that month before finalizing the joint fundraising deal.

But the Trump fundraising agreement raised eyebrows after it was revealed the unusual deal would help pay Trump's legal bills as he faces four criminal indictments and multiple civil cases.

The agreement directs a portion of funds, as much as $5,000 per donor, to Trump's Save America PAC before money reaches the RNC or state GOP parties.

That leadership committee has been used to pay Trump's lawyers including roughly $50 million over the course of 2023 and nearly $5.6 million in February alone.

Filings with the Federal Election Commission will provide additional details on the latest fundraising hauls in March later this month.