Biden's team raises $85 million in May, less than Trump's $141 million haul
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President Biden and former President Obama onstage during a campaign fundraiser in Los Angeles on June 15. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
President Biden's political operation raised $85 million into its various accounts in May, ending the month with $212 million cash on hand, the campaign announced.
Why it matters: Biden's May fundraising totals were significantly less than the $141 million the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said they raised in May.
- Those monster numbers reflected the support — and anger — of many Trump backers who were outraged by his 34 felonies conviction in his New York hush money trial.
- Nearly $53 million came in the 24 hours after the verdicts that saw the presumptive Republican presidential nominee become the first-ever former or sitting U.S. president convicted of a crime.
- Separately, Trump's Super PAC raised nearly $69 million in May, including a $50 million donation from billionaire businessman Timothy Mellon.
State of play: May marks the second month in a row where the Trump operation appears to have out-raised Biden's.
- Earlier in the cycle, the Democratic frontrunner amassed a sizable cash advantage over his Republican rival.
- Both Trump's and Biden's May totals were an improvement over their April hauls, when the Trump campaign brought in $76 million and Biden raised $51 million.
- Since the campaign launched, the Biden campaign says it has raised more than $558 million, which it says is more than any other Democratic candidate at this stage of the cycle.
What we're watching: Biden has been spending aggressively to defend his record, brand Trump a criminal and appeal to Black, Latino and Asian American voters, with a plan for a $50 million ad campaign this month.
- Ahead of next week's debates, Biden has kept a busy fundraising schedule, raising some $40 million in three days, with high-wattage fundraisers with former President Obama in Los Angeles and former President Obama in Virginia.
- The campaign is also investing heavily in field organization, especially in red counties.
- They announced on Thursday that they had 1,000 staffers across the country, spread out over 200 field offices.
What they're saying: "The money we continue to raise matters," said Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign Manager in a statement.
- "And it's helping the campaign build out an operation that invests in reaching and winning the voters who will decide this election – a stark contrast to Trump's PR stunts and photo-ops that he's pretending is a campaign."
