Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Trump digs into war chest to battle Biden, slumping poll numbers
Joe Biden raised more money than President Donald Trump in May while the president spent more, digging into his deep coffers to define and attack his Democratic challenger.
Trump spent $24.5 million, more than tripling the $7.7 million his campaign spent in April, according to the latest reports with the Federal Election Commission. The incumbent struggled against falling poll numbers caused in part by the coronavirus pandemic and its economic fallout, as the U.S. economy fell into recession. Biden spent $11.7 million, down from $12.9 million the month before.
Overall, Biden and his allied committees raised $80.8 million, topping Trump for the first time. Trump’s committees combined to raise $74 million. But despite spending big in May, Trump, who has been raising money for the 2020 election since winning in 2016, added $10 million to his war chest, which now totals $265 million.
Biden and the DNC reported $122 million cash on hand. That total doesn’t include the Biden Victory Fund, which raises money for the Biden campaign, the DNC and 26 state party committees, and can accept checks of up to $620,800. Trump, the RNC and their affiliated committees have raised $817 million in the current election cycle compared to $422.3 million for their Democratic counterparts. Flush with cash after facing no serious primary opposition, Trump has built his getout-the-vote machine with plenty of cash left over. Biden battled more than a dozen Democratic competitors to secure his party’s nomination.
Trump’s campaign has spent $26.5 million since
May 3 on broadcast and cable television ads, according to Advertising Analytics. Biden has just started advertising for the Nov. 3 election with a $15 million ad buy.
Biden’s campaign sent an appeal to small-dollar donors Saturday citing Trump’s larger war chest. The email noted that Trump, who resumed inperson fundraisers after shutting them down in early March, took in $10 million at his first event June 11 in Dallas, while Biden is still raising money virtually.
The Democrat’s campaign also took Trump to task for saying at his Tulsa, Oklahoma, rally, that he's asked his administration to slow down coronavirus testing because robust testing turns up too many COVID-19 cases. “Trump just admitted that he’s putting politics ahead of the safety and economic wellbeing of the American people,” the campaign said.