Trump and Republicans raised $210 million in August, far short of Biden

[September 10, 2020]  WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump's re-election campaign and the Republican National Committee announced on Wednesday that they raised a combined $210 million in August, falling far short of matching Democratic challenger Joe Biden's record-breaking haul of $364.5 million for the month.

Both candidates saw a bump in fundraising during August, when the two parties held conventions to rally support ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Trump is trailing former Vice President Biden in nationwide opinion polls as voters consistently say they are dissatisfied with Trump's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Biden and the Democratic National Committee announced their August fundraising total last week, which was the most ever raised by any presidential candidate in a single month.

As well as drawing donations during the Democratic Party's virtual convention during the month, Biden's nomination of California Senator Kamala Harris as his vice presidential nominee generated enthusiasm. Harris is the first Black woman and the first South Asian American on a major party's U.S. presidential ticket.

Trump's re-election campaign raised $76 million over the four-day Republican National Convention, part of which was held at the White House, the campaign said.

President Donald Trump speaks during a campaign event at Smith Reynolds Regional Airport in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, U.S., September 8, 2020. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst

Trump's campaign manager, Bill Stepien, said in a statement that the campaign was focusing on its "ground game" and had 2,000 staff on the ground.

"In addition to advertising, President Trump’s campaign has invested heavily in a muscular field operation and ground game that will turn out our voters," Stepien said.

(Reporting by Simon Lewis and Jonathan Landay, Editing by Franklin Paul and David Gregorio)

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