As presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump lags far behind his Democratic rival in the money race, the real estate mogul's most ardent supporter in the Senate -- Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions -- defended The Donald's lack of fundraising power on Tuesday, arguing that a candidate's message is more important than donations.

"I would just say this: Votes trumps money -- a phrase i used to use before he got the nomination," Sessions, the first senator to endorse Trump,, told CNN. "If you're appealing to the American people and you've got their votes, you don't need as much money."

The Trump surrogate's appearance came after fundraising reports showed Clinton with $43 million cash on hand to spend on the election compared to just $1.2 million for Trump.

Sessions tried to downplay the significance of the disparity, pointing out that Trump spent a paltry sum compared to his Republican primary opponents, including ex-Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, who spent $130 million during his unsuccessful run.

"He's spent a fraction of what his opponents did in these primaries and he dispatched each one of them -- 16 of them," Sessions said. "It's not so much money as key to winning as a message that the American people believe will lift their lives and make their economies better."

While Trump largely used a portion of his personal wealth during the primary campaign, he also received about $2 billion worth of free media.

The Trump campaign said that fundraising has picked up in June but that Trump could tap into more of his own money "if need be."