Frustration is growing within Donald Trump’s campaign over the Republican nominee’s yawning money gap with Democratic rival Hillary Clinton -- just as the presidential race heads into its final fall stretch.

Trump’s top advisers have held a series of tense conversations in recent days about how to close a fundraising hole that’s grown to over $200 million – a deficit that’s led Trump to essentially cede the TV airwaves to his Democratic rival. The discussions, which were relayed by more than a half-dozen sources, have veered into finger pointing, with some participants pinning the blame on the Republican National Committee or on Steven Mnuchin, Trump’s national finance chairman and a newcomer to the political scene.


The shortfall is putting Trump at a substantial disadvantage during the remaining few weeks of the campaign, as focus shifts to the clinical – and costly -- process of bringing voters out to the polls.

“Between him dissing the donors in the primary and donors being more concerned about Congress, as they should be, it’s a significant gap for him to close,” said former GOP Rep. Vin Weber, a prominent Washington lobbyist and fundraiser. “I have to believe the Clinton campaign will know how to spend their money effectively during the last 45 days.”

Last Thursday, Trump’s top brass, including Mnuchin, chief operating officer Eli Miller, Donald Trump Jr., son-in-law Jared Kushner gathered in Trump Tower with Republican National Committee Chief of Staff Katie Walsh. At one point, Dallas investor Gentry Beach, a Trump fundraiser who has long been one of Donald Trump Jr.’s closest friends, launched into what four sources who were present described as a pointed critique of the RNC, which he said was coming up short. Gentry asked why he didn’t have access to the RNC’s donor data, two of the sources said -- implying that the committee was deliberately withholding critical information.

To those assembled, the critique wasn’t entirely new – for weeks, tensions between Trump and the establishment-minded RNC have simmered over resources and the direction of the campaign. While some Trump aides argue that the committee has been less than helpful, many within the RNC are convinced the New York businessman is waging a lackluster campaign.

But Kushner, a wealthy real estate executive and New York Observer publisher who has taken on an increasingly influential role in the campaign, pushed back forcefully – telling Beach in no uncertain terms that the Dallas investor didn’t know what he was talking about. Kushner, who is regularly in touch with Walsh and party chairman Reince Priebus, argued that the committee had been proven itself to be responsive. He reserved particular praise for Walsh.

In an email, Beach disputed the characterization of the exchange but declined to go into specifics. An RNC spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.

The tensions spilled over into a Monday conference call that stretched on for nearly an hour. Roy Bailey, a Dallas insurance executive and longtime GOP fundraiser who is close to former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, urged the campaign to reach out to the large number of Republican donors who remain on the sidelines. At no point did Bailey explicitly attack Mnuchin, but three sources on the call said his critique was implicit – and clear: The campaign was failing to take the routine, obvious steps.

Mnuchin pushed back. Yes, he’d be happy to contact still-uncommitted contributors. But the situation was complex. There were a number of major GOP donors who were aligned with the establishment and simply wouldn’t give to Trump, so why waste the effort? The discussion went on for a while longer, with Bailey arguing that new polls showing a tightening race could get some people to open their wallets.

That’s when Woody Johnson jumped in. By that point, the call had gone on for nearly 45 minutes, and Johnson – the billionaire owner of the New York Jets – had had enough. Addressing Bailey directly, Johnson said that the best way to win over uncommitted donors was by contacting them, not sitting on conference calls. Then, the Jets owner abruptly hung up.

Bailey did not respond to a request for comment, and a Johnson representative declined to discuss his role on the call. Reached on Friday, Mnuchin disputed the notion that disagreements had cropped up.

“The campaign has an amazing relationship with the RNC,” he said. “We have been operating as one unified team for the past five months and achieved amazing success in all aspects of our fundraising.”

The flare-up comes at a critical juncture in the campaign, as both sides turn their attention to voter turnout. Clinton has used her formidable financial advantage to significantly out-organize Trump, investing seven times the amount of money on TV ads and opening up dozens more swing-state field offices than her Republican opponent.

Fundraising reports released this week painted a stark picture: While Clinton had raised $373 million to date, Trump had taken in $165 million.

Particularly concerning for Trump were revelations this week that Las Vegas casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, one of the Republican Party’s biggest donors, had decided to direct just $5 million toward electing the GOP presidential nominee. Adelson, who’d once been expected to invest as much as $100 million in Trump, is instead focusing the vast majority of his political giving on down-ballot races.

In the days since Monday’s call, and Johnson’s abrupt signoff, other members of Trump’s finance circle have been stewing over Bailey’s remarks. Many of them believe they’ve made the best out of a bad situation, pointing out that in the face of ongoing resistance from many of the party’s top donors and lacking the infrastructure of past GOP presidential nominees, they’ve managed to fund a national campaign.

They also argue that the campaign has made serious strides in fundraising. Next week, it will hold two high-dollar events in New York City, one which will feature Ivanka Trump and the other that will be hosted by Trump and his vice presidential nominee, Mike Pence. And on Tuesday, the day after the first debate, Trump’s fundraisers will convene at Trump Tower to hold a “ national call day ” in hopes of winning over still-uncommitted donors.

The campaign, tapping into Trump’s popularity among blue collar voters, has also developed a vaunted small-dollar operation that has raised around $100 million from contributors who’ve given $200 or less.

Some of those helping Trump raise money were quick to defend Mnuchin, an ex-Goldman Sachs executive and former film producer who has far less political experience than his counterparts on previous presidential campaigns.

They noted that Trump did not hold his first major fundraiser until late May, long after when nominees typically begin their pursuit of big-dollar donors.

"Given the totality of circumstances and the timing of the race, Steve has done a heroic job and he is one of the smartest people I have met on a campaign,” said Anthony Scaramucci, a Wall Street investor and Republican fundraiser who is helping to organize next week’s national call day. “Which is why he was probably smart enough to have never done this before.”