Trump dwarfs Biden in latest fundraising numbers in show of political force after felony convictions
NEW YORK – Donald Trump’s presidential campaign raised more than $60,000,000 last month compared to President Biden’s, according federal filings that were made public on Thursday. The filings detailed the Republican fundraising boom sparked Trump’s felony charges.
Biden’s campaign, along with the Democratic National Committee, raised $85 million together in May. The two organizations reported a combined $212 million at the end the month. This impressive showing excludes the roughly $40 million raised in recent days by Biden and top surrogates, or a separate donation of $20 million from former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg to pro Biden groups.
Even so, Trump’s fund-raising for at least one month seemed to dwarf Biden.
The Trump campaign, along with the Republican National Committee, raised an astonishing $141 million dollars in May. This included tens and tens millions of dollars donated after Trump was found guilty of 34 felonies for the New York hush-money case. According to public filings, billionaire Timothy Mellon donated an astounding $50 million to the pro-Trump super PAC on the day following Trump’s guilty verdict.
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Trump’s campaign refused to disclose how much it had in its bank account at the end May. Biden’s camp questioned whether groups were still spending heavily on Trump’s legal expenses.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden’s campaign manager, said: “Our consistent and strong fundraising program has grown by millions in May. This is a clear indication of the growing support for President Obama and Vice President Biden every month.” The money that we raise is important, as it helps the campaign to build an operation that will invest in reaching and winning voters who decide this election. This is in stark contrast to Trump’s PR stunts that he pretends are a campaign.
The latest Federal Election Commission reports indicate that Democrats could still have a significant cash advantage over Republicans in the presidential race of 2024. Trump’s team is closing the cash gap, if not already closed, almost four months ahead of Election Day.
The new figures on fundraising also show how the rules of politics have been rewritten for the Trump era.
In almost every other period of U.S. History, a candidate for president would have had to withdraw from an election if convicted of multiple felonies. In 2024, Trump’s guilty verdict has fueled a huge fundraising surge. This puts his team in the position to ramp-up advertising and swing state infrastructure at a time when voters are paying more attention to elections.
According to AdImpact, the media tracking company, MAGA Inc., the pro Trump super PAC backed by Mellon’s massive donation reserved $3.5M in television advertising that will begin on July 3 in Georgia and Pennsylvania. The group ended the month of May with $93.7 millions in its bank account, a total haul of $68.8million.
Mellon is among the largest donors to Trump, as well as independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., though his support for Kennedy could be fading.
Kennedy had $6.4 million on hand at the end of May, after raising $2.6 million over the past month. His running mate Nicole Shanahan is a wealthy Silicon Valley attorney who raised the majority of Kennedy’s fundraising total. The Kennedy campaign raised more money than it spent for the month.
The figures reported on Thursday do not include any money raised in June. This includes the $40 million that Biden and top surrogates raised in recent days. The majority of the money was raised at a glamorous fundraiser in Los Angeles last Saturday, which included movie stars and ex-President Barack Obama. This event raised over $30 million. Jill Biden has also been fundraising for her personal cause, which has raised $1.5 million.
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