Biden campaign touts best fundraising haul yet despite debate disaster
President Biden’s campaign said Tuesday it had a record-breaking fundraising month in June — despite the 81-year-old Democrat’s horrid debate performance against GOP candidate Donald Trump.
Biden’s campaign raked in $127 million, up from $85 million in May, according to a press release.
Meanwhile, Trump’s team said it had raised $111.8 million last month.
About $38 million, nearly one-third of the Biden campaign’s June intake, was raised in the hours leading up to his disastrous June 27 debate and the three days after, even as Biden disappointed many top Dems with his performance, which was riddled with freezes, a raspy voice and sometimes incoherent trains of thoughts.
The Biden campaign had already been touting its pre-debate figures over the past week, when the campaign said it had historic grassroots donation days.
The effort comes as even Democrat allies have raised alarms over Biden’s cognitive abilities and his capacity to continue in a second term — with some powerful longtime supporters calling for him to step aside.
The June figures signal the best month the Biden team has had in the 2024 election cycle so far and boost its second quarter numbers to $264 million, with $240 million cash on hand.
The former president’s campaign stressed that Trump raised $331 million in the second quarter and had $284.9 million cash on hand as of June 30, beating Biden on both counts.
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In May, Trump actually got a financial boost from his guilty verdict in his Manhattan “hush money” case, raking in $53 million in the 24 hours after the verdict was read May 30. The 45th president finished off the month with a record-smashing $141 million compared to Biden’s $85 million for the month.
Trump’s team also touted a $76 million April haul, besting Biden’s $51 million for the month.
“President Trump’s campaign fundraising operation is thriving day after day and month after month. Winning this quarter brought us a cash on hand advantage, which is punctuated by a Biden burn rate that grows while yielding no tangible results for them,” top Trump advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement about the June numbers.
“Despite Biden spending nearly $120 million on tv, cable and radio alone, polling and voter enthusiasm continue to grow for President Trump. This fundraising momentum is likely to grow even more as we head into a world-class convention and see the Democrats continue their circular firing squad in the aftermath of Biden’s debate collapse.”
To raise his numbers, Biden had spent the past month participating in several splashy mega fundraisers across the country, including a billionaire-hosted big-money event in the Hamptons on the Friday after the CNN debate and a star-studded Hollywood fundraiser with George Clooney and Julia Roberts earlier in the month that brought in $30 million.
His campaign pointed to its fundraising numbers as proof that Biden should continue in the 2024 race.
“Our Q2 fundraising haul is a testament to the committed and growing base of supporters standing firmly behind the President and Vice President and clear evidence that our voters understand the choice in this election between President Biden fighting for the American people and Donald Trump fighting for himself as a convicted felon,” said Biden Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez in a statement.
