Susanne Cervenka

@scervenka

Donald Trump boasts that he made “a lot of money in Atlantic City,” but he wasn’t able to squeak out a penny in campaign contributions from the city let alone the casino that still bears his name.

One presidential donation came from a 45-year-old Trump Taj Mahal food service worker, according to the May presidential fundraising reports. But the $250 contribution went to presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Trump no longer has an ownership stake in the casino, which is owned by investor Carl Icahn's Icahn Enterprises.

Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, trailed Clinton in fundraising by a margin of 16 to 1 in New Jersey and more than 9 to 1 nationally.

Trump received $43,734 from New Jersey donors in May compared with Clinton's $708,445, according to federal elections records. Nationally, Trump raised $3.1 million to Clinton's $28 million, leading some on social media to mock the billionaire with the hashtag #TrumpSoPoor.

Besides being paltry in comparison to Clinton's fundraising totals, Trump's totals are far below the $1 billion that experts say they expect will be spent in presidential campaigns this year.

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But experts still aren't sure if this is a worrisome sign for Trump's campaign — or just another broken rule from a candidate who has gotten by shredding the political playbook.

"I think what we can glean is you cannot underestimate Donald Trump. The traditional metrics don’t always apply with him," said Ben Dworkin, a political science professor and director of Rider University's Rebovich Institute for New Jersey Politics.

The fundraising gap in New Jersey isn't surprising, Dworkin said. Since 1992, New Jersey has been a place where there's not much presidential campaigning, but lots of presidential fundraising, Dworkin said.

"For Democrats, New Jersey is an ATM," he said.

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Meanwhile, Trump's low fundraising numbers make sense for a candidate who both boasts that he can pay for the campaign himself and doesn't have the fundraising networks typical for modern presidential campaigns, Dworkin said.

"If you don't need the money, why would anyone give it to you?" he said.

Trump's campaign released a statement saying May, the campaign's first full month of fundraising, was "incredible" and that the campaign continues to see an outpouring of financial support for Trump.

“If need be, there could be unlimited 'cash on hand' as I would put up my own money, as I have already done through the primaries, spending over $50 million dollars," Trump said in the statement.

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Not everyone is convinced. Monmouth County Democratic chairman Vin Gopal estimates Trump would need to donate at least $100 million to his campaign to be competitive.

"He can, but the question is will he? There's no indication he is going to do that," Gopal said.

Trump raised $8,806 from donors in Monmouth and Ocean counties, more than half of which came from one Long Branch man: a 72-year-old retiree whose voter registration lists no political affiliation. Trump's campaign contributions in the two counties came from fewer than two dozen people.

By comparison, Red Bank Republicans raised between $10,000 to $11,000 from Monmouth and Ocean counties in May for their races, said Sean DiSomma, chairman of the Red Bank Republican Party.

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Trump certainly could raise more campaign cash locally and across the state — if his campaign would just ask, DiSomma said. But DiSomma said the only emails he gets asking for donations are coming from Clinton's campaign.

"I question whether his campaign is taking it seriously," DiSomma said.

Those requests for small, frequent donations have helped Clinton raise $54,625 from residents in Monmouth and Ocean counties.

More than 80 percent of Clinton's donation from New Jersey last month were $100 or less. A number of donors contributed a half dozen or more times in May for amounts of $10 or less.

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Chris Machonis, 18, of Stafford, is one of those donors. He made 13 donations in May, ranging from $1 to $5.

Machonis, who graduated from Southern Regional High School and will head to George Mason University next fall, said he contributes whatever he can, whenever he can: $5 when he gets paid from his part-time weekend job, $1 when Clinton won (or lost) a primary, when he gets an email asking for a donation from Clinton's campaign.

Machonis said he's excited to hear Clinton is leading Trump in fundraising, but it also makes him more committed to his small, but regular donations to Clinton.

"There’s still a lot of time. I’m sure eventually Donald Trump will get his ducks in order," he said. "That’s why it’s important to stay ahead of him."

Contributing: Christopher Schnaars of USAT Today Network. Susanne Cervenka: 732-643-4229; scervenka@gannettnj.com.