In a worrying sign for Democrats, fundraising for President Joe Biden's reelection bid plunged in April as contributions to former President Donald Trump's campaign increased.
Biden announced that fundraising efforts across his campaign, associated committees, and the Democratic National Committee brought in $51 million in April — a sizable drop from the $90 million in March that came after a spate of post-State of the Union events.
The Democrat incumbent is facing political headwinds that threaten to derail his bid for a second White House term, including disappointing polling and waning enthusiasm for his candidacy among his base.
"April's haul reflects strong, consistent grassroots enthusiasm," Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodríguez said in a statement obtained by Politico. "Trump's operation continues to burn through cash and lag behind our growing and aggressive campaign, with no ground game and no demonstrable interest in talking to the voters they need to win."
Politico reported that the Biden campaign spent $25 million in April, dipping slightly from March's spending levels. The operation reportedly spent less on advertising, but its payroll costs grew to nearly $3 million for 250 staffers.
The Trump campaign told donors this month that his entire operation, including the Republican National Committee (RNC), had brought in $76 million in April. The former president's campaign crowed over the figure in a statement Monday night.
"President Trump and the RNC significantly outraised Biden and the Democrats in the month of April, thanks to the support of millions of small-dollar donors from every state across the country," Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told Politico. "President Trump's fundraising haul over Biden is especially remarkable when you consider he has been confined to a courtroom for nearly nine hours a day over the past four weeks."
According to campaign finance reports, Trump's campaign only spent $5.5 million, with more than $1.4 million of that spent on direct mail. Just $550,000 was spent on payroll, with the number of Trump staffers reportedly about a quarter of those of the Biden campaign.
While presidential campaigns are required to file monthly reports with the Federal Election Commission, joint fundraising committees — which raise much of the campaigns' money — are not required to submit reports until July.
The Trump team gained traction in fundraising after the change in leadership at the RNC, but it continued to spend heavily to defend the former president amid his ongoing legal cases.
The Trump-allied Save America PAC reportedly shelled out $3.3 million in legal fees in April, including more than $850,000 to Blanche Law, one of the firms defending the former president in his New York paperwork trial.
Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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