I regret to inform the MAGA folks and the mainstream media outlets, but the rumors of Ron DeSantis's lackluster launch have been dramatically overstated.

After driving such a huge crowd to Twitter spaces during his launch that he crashed the servers, many have tried to paint DeSantis's announcement as a fiasco.

But the bankbook is telling a different story:

Ron DeSantis raised almost as much money in 24 hours as Donald Trump raised in the initial 6 weeks following his 2024 announcement last November. Trump has raised $18.8 million in just under 6 months.

The $8.2 million brought in by DeSantis is also an overall record.

Ron DeSantis beat the previous 24-hour fundraising record held by Joe Biden by $1.9 million.

Some will say that it's because DeSantis is the establishment pick.

From The New York Times:

The DeSantis sum includes both online contributions and donations secured by bundlers who had gathered on Thursday at the grand ballroom in the Four Seasons in Miami for what was called a Ron-O-Rama to make fund-raising calls for the campaign.

Bryan Griffin, a DeSantis spokesman, said the campaign was raising both primary and general election funds. The campaign can raise $3,300 per donor for both the primary and general election. He declined to say how money was earmarked for use only in the general election, should Mr. DeSantis become the nominee.

With the maximum donation for a candidate's fund being $3,300, this means there are thousands of donors all giving money to DeSantis and not just a few big-name and big-money donors.

This is a very positive sign for team DeSantis.

Buckle up for a fun primary!