Scoop: Obama joins Biden in new pitch to small-dollar donors
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Photo: Courtesy Biden-Harris campaign
President Biden is tapping former President Obama to help him raise money again, as they appear side-by-side in digital ads making appeals to small-dollar donors.
Why it matters: Biden needs his grassroots base energized — and engaged — to win in November, and polls suggest he has work to do with Black, Latino and young voters in particular.
- The social media appeals are a digital version of last month's $25 million fundraiser in New York City that featured Biden, Obama and former President Clinton.
- Biden advisers want to make sure Democrats — large donors and first-time contributors who give as little as $3 — feel connected to the campaign.
- They also want to keep outraising former President Trump, whose campaign finance efforts are being weighed down by his massive legal fees.
Driving the news: Seven jokey, folksy ads with Biden and Obama — heavy on their familiar buddy routine — are being blasted across Instagram, Facebook, and Youtube this afternoon.
- "Did you know that by pitching in the cost of a morning cup of Joe, you can help re-elect my friend Joe?" Obama says, standing beside Biden.
- "Whether it's three dollars, or more, no gift is too small to make a difference," Biden chimes in.
- "We all have a role to play to make sure that Donald Trump never steps foot in the Oval Office again," Biden says. "We are relying on you."
Zoom out: Biden's and Vice President Kamala Harris campaign entered April with more than $192 million in cash on hand in all their election accounts after raising some $90 million in March.
- By comparison, Trump's team finished the first quarter of 2024 with $93 million on hand after raising $65 million in March.
Zoom in: Overall, grassroots fundraising content featuring Obama has brought in more than $17.7 million this cycle, the Biden campaign said.
- Earlier in the 2024 cycle, a similarly styled video with Biden and Obama generated $1.84 million.
