Biden and the Democrats raise $264 million in 2nd quarter as they seek to calm post-debate anxieties
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden ‘s re-election campaign and the Democratic National Committee reported that they raised $264 million in the second quarter of the year, an impressive haul that could help them calm fears within their own party over last week’s events. shaky debate performance.
The total announced Tuesday includes $127 million raised in June alone, when the campaign said it raised more than $33 million on the day of the debate and in its aftermath. Biden also has $240 million in cash on hand, up from the $212 million he reported he had last month.
Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez called the totals “a testament to the dedicated and growing base of supporters who are solidly behind the president.”
The announced totals come as Biden’s campaign continues to work hard to suppress panic among some Democrats, who question whether the president can win the November election after a debate in which he sounded hoarsetrailed off and gave sometimes convoluted answers. Some of the campaign’s top leaders have called multiple times since the debate, preaching patience to donors and top contributors.
However, campaign officials stress that there has been âabsolutelyâ no talk of Biden withdrawing from the race, nor any personnel changes.
Former President Donald Trumpwho will accept the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention this month in Milwaukee, has yet to disclose quarterly fundraising figures for his campaign and affiliated entities. A spokesman said they would release them “when we’re ready.”
Biden had a big fundraising advantage over Trump early in the race, but the former president has narrowed the gap recently.
In April, which is included in Tuesday’s full second-quarter totals, Biden and the DNC reported raising more than $51 million. That was well short of the $76 million Trump and the Republican Party received that month.
Trump too reported increase $141 million in May, supplemented by tens of millions of dollars in contributions that poured in after Trump’s guilty verdict in his criminal case for hush money.
Biden’s most recent quarterly total was boosted by a gleaming June Fundraising in Los Angeles that he held with superstars George Clooney and Julia Roberts and former President Barack Obama. That event raised more than $30 million, a record for a Democratic candidate.
The president’s campaign said nearly half of the donations that came in after the debate came from first-time donors. It said 95% of all donations in the second quarter were under $200, and that more than 1.5 million total donors made more than 2.8 million contributions.
According to the campaign, the number of donors has now risen to 314,000. That is almost 100,000 more than in March, the end of 2024, in the first quarter.
Bidenâs campaign has used its funds to open more than 200 campaign offices in the warring states, working with Democratic parties in the state and staffing more than 1,000 people. Bidenâs team said the campaign held 1,500 events in the warring states after last weekendâs debate.
âGrassroots donors across the country are doing their part every day because they know this election will determine the course of history,â said DNC Chair Jaime Harrison.