Since launching his fourth presidential campaign (remember:  he ran, and dropped out, in 2000 as a Reform Party candidate) in November, Donald Trump has struggled to attract donors, raising just $9.5 million for his campaign and a joint Trump-RNC committee, NBC News reports.

Just one week after the GOP suffered an essential loss in the midterms–barely taking the majority in the House and losing a seat in the Senate was far below the outcome of the predicted Red Tsumani–Trump announced his presidential bid with little fanfare outside of his typical outlets.  Trump critics questioned the timing of the launch given the vast majority of his top-ballot candidates failed to win their midterm elections; rumblings within the Party pointed to Trump as the cause of their electoral dysfunction.

Trump likely thought that getting out ahead of the fundraising rush would give him an advantage, but donors appear tired of fundraising drives and skeptical of Trump’s long-term prospects given his ongoing legal troubles and administrative gaffes.  “If you want a big fundraising pop when you announce your campaign, you don’t do it right after an election where all your donors are burned out from being bombarded by fundraising asks and you don’t have a great track record to show for it,” Eric Wilson, a Republican digital fundraising consultant, said.  Marketing genius, Trump is:  beg for money when people are tapped out and switching to holiday spending.  Brilliant.