Eyes on 2024: Trump’s slow fundraising start — plus other baggage

Trump’s campaign continues to ramp up, although NBC News’ Jonathan Allen and Marc Caputo report that the former president is struggling to fundraise, with his latest haul being less than the amount he raised before launching another White House run. 

Meanwhile, a handful of headlines Monday remind us of just how much unique baggage Trump brings to his presidential bid. 

“Prosecutors convene grand jury in Trump hush money probe” -- a credible investigation into whether allies paid hush money to an adult film star aimed at keeping her allegations she had an affair with Trump quiet. 

And “Trump Courses Will Host Three Tournaments for Saudi-Backed LIV Golf” — news the former president’s private golf courses will host the controversial golf tournament funded by Saudi Arabia amid questions about the country’s human rights record (after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi) and about Trump’s son-in-law’s business relationship with the Saudis. 

Of course, his time in office, the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, the attempts to overturn the 2020 election, undercut faith in the electoral process writ large and all the other obvious pieces of Trump’s past that will loom large in any discussion about his candidacy. But would these headlines be seen as afterthoughts for any other presidential hopeful at any other point in time? 

In other campaign news: 

Here come the governors: NBC’s Adam Edelman reports on how the group of GOP governors — Florida’s Ron DeSantis, Virginia’s Glenn Youngkin and South Dakota’s Kristi Noem — are positioning themselves ahead of potential presidential bids. 

Take it to court: Trump has filed a $49 million lawsuit against Bob Woodward, Simon & Schuster and Paramount Global for use of audio from his interviews conducted by Woodward. 

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For Subscribers

FOR SUBSCRIBERSRepublicans seek inroads with Black voters in Michigan’s tight Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSEurope’s protests are about more than schools. They are a generational roar.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSTrump is desperate to bring gas prices down. The solution might be in India.

FOR SUBSCRIBERSNew AI tool for voters offers a specialized chatbot to explain your ballot

FOR SUBSCRIBERSWhat the rural data center boom looks like, from the people who have lived through it

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInteractive map: How far do you live from the nearest data center?

FOR SUBSCRIBERSiPhone Duo review: The good, bad and the buggy

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAnger over rising prices could be decisive in Alaska’s unusually close Senate race

FOR SUBSCRIBERSDOJ weighs election litigation against more states

FOR SUBSCRIBERSGOP Senate hopeful Ashley Hinson balances standing by Trump and standing up to him in Iowa

FOR SUBSCRIBERSInside the reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas

FOR SUBSCRIBERSAIPAC shifts tactics amid voter frustration with Israel

FOR SUBSCRIBERSThe viral attack ad featuring an estranged mother

FOR SUBSCRIBERSU.S. troops and diplomats evacuating Middle East posts, sources say

FOR SUBSCRIBERSBogus trans youth brochure rattles Texas voters

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RNC calls on party to double down on abortion: Among the nine resolutions that passed by a voice vote at the Republican National Committee’s winter meeting, the RNC called for candidates to “go on offense in the 2024 election cycle, and expose the Democrats’ extreme position” on abortion. 

Will she, she won’t: As a handful of other Michigan Democrats weigh a Senate bid, Rep. Haley Stevens announced she won’t run. 

Will he, will he?: West Virginia Republican Gov. Jim Justice posted a video interview featuring him saying he is “leaning” toward running for Senate and will make an announcement “real soon.” 

Bad sign for Santos: A whopping 78% of voters in embattled GOP Rep George Santos’ district want him to resign, per a Newsday/Siena College of New York’s 3rd District. That includes a sizable majority of Republicans (71%) as well as 89% of Democrats and 72% of independents.

DNC in ATL?: Southern Democrats are pushing for Atlanta to host the 2024 convention, NBC News’ Alex Seitz-Wald reports.