Biden campaign's fundraising lags Trump for the first time in April
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[May 21, 2024]
By Nandita Bose and Costas Pitas
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -President Joe Biden's 2024 campaign's fundraising
in April lagged rival Donald Trump's for the first time, after the
former president ramped up his joint operation with the Republican
National Committee and headlined high-dollar fundraisers.
The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee raised more
than $51 million in April, the campaign said, lower than the $90 million
they raised in March and less than $76 million Donald Trump and the
Republican Party reported taking in for the month.
Trump clinched the Republican presidential nomination in March, and can
now raise money with the RNC, which his daughter-in-law co-chairs.
His April haul was boosted by a record-setting $50.5 million raised
during an event with donors early in the month at the Palm Beach,
Florida, home of billionaire investor John Paulson. Paulson has been
floated by Trump as a potential Treasury secretary.
The event turned out to be a much-needed boost for Trump, who has been
routinely outraised by Biden and is in the midst of a financial squeeze
due to ballooning lawyer fees and legal payouts from his criminal and
civil court cases.
Trump's Save America group submitted a filing to the Federal Election
Commission on Monday showing more than $3.3 million in legal
expenditures during the month.
The Trump campaign said in a statement its April fundraising 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."
Trump's campaign said in March that it would be unable to match Biden's
fundraising totals this year. Trump won the 2016 presidential election
despite being outraised by Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton.
Biden and Trump are tied in national polls with just over five months to
go before the Nov. 5 election, while Trump has the edge in the
battleground states that will decide the election, recent polls show. On
economic issues like inflation, Trump scores higher with voters overall
than Biden.
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![](../images/052124PIX/news_v39.jpg)
U.S. President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris and second
gentleman Doug Emhoff walk to attend a celebration for Jewish
American Heritage Month, at the White House, in Washington, U.S.,
May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Leah Millis
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WAR CHESTS
Biden's campaign continues to have a considerably larger war chest.
It reported to the Federal Election Commission that it had some $84
million in the bank at the end of April. The Trump campaign reported
having $49 million.
A large war chest has allowed Biden's campaign to undertake major
advertising campaigns in key battleground states, said Julie Chavez
Rodriguez, Biden-Harris 2024 Campaign Manager. She said that
including the Democratic National Committee and other groups,
Biden's campaign had $192 million at the end of April.
The State of the Union address, a fundraising blitz through eight
battleground states and an event with former Presidents Bill Clinton
and Barack Obama at New York's Radio City Music Hall, where it
raised $26 million, boosted the amount Biden raised in March.
In June, the Biden campaign is planning another major fundraiser
featuring Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts in Los
Angeles.
(Reporting by Nandita Bose and Costas Pitas; Additional reporting by
Jason Lange; Editing by Leslie Adler and Michael Perry)
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