President Joe Biden’s cash advantage over former President Donald Trump rose to $113 million as the ex-president is bogged down by legal fees ahead of the general election rematch.
Biden’s campaign had $71 million in cash at the end of February, according to Federal Election Commission filings on Wednesday night. It grossed over $21 million and spent just over $6 million during the month.
Over the weekend, the president’s campaign, including the committees that supported him, announced that Biden raised a whopping $53 million in February and had an unprecedented $155 million in cash on hand at the end of the month.
Biden’s massive cash advantage has given the president the opportunity to make an early investment in digital advertising, as well as book ads for the fall of what is expected to be the most expensive political race on record.
Meanwhile, the Trump campaign told Fox News that the former president and his joint fundraising committee raised a combined $20 million last month, more than the $13.8 million raised in January but less than half of Biden’s February fundraising total .
At the end of last month, Trump had a total of $41.9 million in cash on hand, they said, less than a third of Biden’s massive campaign war chest.
Biden ended February with a $113 million cash advantage over Trump as the pair gear up for a rematch in November
The Trump campaign’s monthly filing late Wednesday showed that the ex-president’s campaign raised $10.8 million and spent $7.8 million in February.
It ended the month with $33.5 million in cash, up from the $30 million the campaign had available at the end of January.
Trump’s super PAC, Make America Great Again Inc., reported in late February that it had $25.5 million in cash on hand. It raised nearly $12.8 million last month and spent nearly $7 million.
But one of Trump’s committees, a leading PAC called Save America, which has been used to help pay his legal fees as Trump fights multiple cases, spent more money than necessary last month.
Save America ended February with $4 million in cash, down from more than $6.2 million at the end of January. It spent more than $6.6 million last month but brought in only $5 million.
Trump in court for the fraud trial in New York. In February, Save America PAC spent nearly $5.6 million on legal fees and attorney Alina Habba (right) still owed more than half a million campaign finance records.
According to the filing, the commission spent nearly $5.6 million on legal advice and still owes Alina Habba’s law firm $534,361.
That means the committee spent more than $210,000 per day on legal costs in February.
Habba is the attorney working on the Trump New York fraud case as the former president struggles to secure the $454 million fine, raising questions about whether New York’s attorney general would seize assets.
The ex-president has raised money for the fraud case to help pay his mounting legal fees.
One fundraising email to supporters in February had the subject line “Keep your dirty hands off Trump Tower!” It was linked to a memo stating that AG Letitia James wants to seize Trump’s property.
It read: “The Democrats think they can intimidate me. They think they can force me to quit. BUT I WILL NEVER SURRENDER!’
Last year, Trump’s campaign and committees also spent nearly $50 million on legal fees as the former president fights 88 charges in four criminal cases and two separate civil cases.
A fundraising email Trump sent in February referencing his civil fraud case in New York
Tickets for the event cost $814,600 for a seat at the former president’s table
With the general election approaching, both Biden and Trump are focused on fundraising.
Billionaire John Paulson will host a fundraiser for Trump in Palm Beach early next month, with tickets costing as much as $814,600 for a seat at the former president’s table.
Biden will join former Presidents Obama and Clinton next week for a fundraising event at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The first event of its kind will reportedly raise $10 million.
The president traveled through three states this week where he also attended several fundraisers, including one Wednesday night in Dallas where the host said they raised $2.5 million.
The latest election returns for February do not include the Biden campaign’s biggest fundraising day yet.
In the 24 hours after Biden’s fiery State of the Union address on March 8, the campaign reported raising $10 million in donations, marking the best fundraising day of the cycle yet.
Biden has been in three states this week for White House and campaign events, including several fundraising stops
Biden’s $113 million cash advantage has allowed him to far outspend Trump on digital advertising targeting voters in battleground states ahead of the general election.
According to a Newsweek analysis, Biden’s campaign spent $5.6 million on advertising over 90 days with Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram. During that same period, Trump’s campaign spent just under $850,000.
Biden’s advertising advantage widened with Google, which owns YouTube. There, Biden has spent $3.71 million on digital advertising since August last year. In the past 90 days, the campaign showed 818 ads on Google, the analysis showed.
Trump’s campaign spent $1,400 on four Google ads during the same period.