Trump closing gap on Biden's fundraising advantage
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President Biden at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C., on May 17.
President Biden's political operation brought in more than $51 million in April, the campaign said Monday — well short of the $76 million that former President Trump's campaign said it raised with the Republican Party.
Why it matters: The latest figures show that Biden still has a cash advantage. But Trump and the Republican National Committee may be closing the gap on Biden's fundraising lead.
- The Biden campaign reported ending the month with $192 million in cash on hand, which it said was more than any Democratic candidate in history at this point in the cycle.
- That's roughly the same as the campaign's cash-on-hand total from last month.
By the numbers: Biden's April haul is less than the roughly $90 million the campaign and DNC raised in March, a total that was buoyed by a star-studded Radio City fundraiser with former Presidents Obama and Clinton and Biden's State of the Union address.
- The Biden campaign and DNC said they raised $53 million in February, ending with $155 million cash on hand.
Zoom in: The Biden campaign has held a sustained cash advantage over Trump, who started the year at a huge deficit and continues to spend millions to fight his legal battles.
- Trump's April fundraising haul was largely carried by his record-breaking $50.5 million fundraiser at investor John Paulson's Palm Beach mansion, which set a fundraiser record for a single event.
- The Trump campaign has not released cash-on-hand totals across all of its committees.
What they're saying: "Trump's operation continues to burn through cash and lag behind our growing and aggressive campaign, with no ground game and no demonstrable interest in talking to the voters they need to win," Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in the announcement.
- "We're taking nothing for granted, but only our campaign is doing the required work every single day to earn voters' support this November."
- The Biden campaign said a majority of its April fundraising was from grassroots donors.
The other side: Trump campaign press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement that Trump and the RNC "significantly outraised Biden and the Democrats in the month of April, thanks to the support of millions of small-dollar donors from every state across the country."
- "President Trump's fundraising haul over Biden is especially remarkable when you consider he has been confined to a courtroom for nearly 9 hours a day over the past four weeks fighting against Biden's Trial," Leavitt said.
Flashback: Trump raised $62 million in April 2020, the first full month of the COVID pandemic, while Biden raised $60 million.
- Obama raised $44 million during the same period of his 2012 presidential campaign.
What to watch: The Biden campaign has several fundraisers scheduled, including one next month in Los Angeles with celebrity guests George Clooney and Julia Roberts expected to attend.
Go deeper: Trump's Truth Social loses $328 million in the first quarter
