lto Donald Trump’s campaign surpassed President Joe Biden by more than $60 million last month, according to federal documents made public Thursday detailing the Republican fundraising explosion sparked by Trump’s felony convictions.
The Biden campaign and the Democratic National Committee They collectively raised a solid $85 million in May and reported $212 million in the bank at the end of the month. The strong showing does not include the roughly $40 million raised by Biden and his top surrogates in recent days, nor a separate $20 million donation from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to advocacy groups. -Biden.
Still, Trump’s fundraising, at least for a month, appeared to eclipse Biden’s.
Donald Trump’s fundraising is impressive
The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said they raised a staggering $141 million in May, including tens of millions donated immediately after Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in the New York hush money case. . At the same time, billionaire Timothy Mellon donated a staggering $50 million to a pro-Trump super PAC the day after Trump’s guilty verdict, according to documents made public Thursday.
The Trump campaign declined to say how much money it had in the bank in late May, leading the Biden campaign to question whether the groups were still spending too much to cover Trump’s legal fees.
“Our strong and consistent fundraising program grew by millions in May, a clear sign of strong and growing enthusiasm for the president and vice president each month,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez. “The money we continue to raise is important and is helping the campaign build an operation that is invested in reaching and winning over the voters who will decide this election, in stark contrast to Trump’s public relations stunts and photo ops that purport to be a Campaign. .
Historical collection figures
Taken together, the numbers detailed in the campaigns’ latest filings with the Federal Election Commission suggest that Democrats may still maintain a monetary advantage in the 2024 presidential race. But nearly four months before Election Day, the Trump camp is closing the gap, if it isn’t already.
The new fundraising numbers also underscore the extent to which the rules of presidential politics are being rewritten in the Trump era.
At almost any other time in American history, a presidential candidate would have been forced to drop out of an election after being convicted of dozens of serious crimes. But in 2024, Trump’s guilty verdict fueled a massive fundraising surge that puts his team in position to ramp up advertising and change state infrastructure just as voters begin to pay more attention to the election.
Backed by Mellon’s massive donation, the pro-Trump super PAC known as MAGA Inc. has booked $3.5 million in television advertising that will begin July 3 in Georgia and Pennsylvania on Thursday, according to media tracking firm AdImpact . Overall, the group reported a haul of $68.8 million in May, ending the month with $93.7 million in the bank.
