Washington, July 3: President Joe Biden’s reelection campaign and the Democratic National Committee reported raising USD 264 million in the year’s second quarter, an impressive haul that may help them calm fears within their own party about last week’s shaky debate performance.The total announced Tuesday includes USD 127 million collected during June alone, when the campaign says it took in more than USD 33 million on the day of the debate and in its aftermath. Biden also has USD 240 million in cash on hand, outpacing the USD 212 million it reported having last month.
Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez called the totals āa testament to the committed and growing base of supporters standing firmly behind the president.ā
The announced totals come as Biden’s campaign continues to scramble to quell panic among some Democrats, who have questioned whether the president can win November’s election after a debate where he appeared raspy, trailed off and at times gave convoluted answers.
Some of the campaign’s top leaders have held multiple calls since the debate, preaching patience to donors and top surrogates.
Campaign officials nonetheless insist there’s been no discussion āwhatsoeverā of Biden exiting the race nor of any staff shakeups.
Former President Donald Trump, who is set to accept the Republican presidential nomination at the party’s convention this month in Milwaukee, has yet to announce the quarterly fundraising totals for his campaign and affiliated entities. A spokesman said they would release them āwhen we’re ready.ā
Biden enjoyed a large fundraising advantage over Trump in the early stages of the race, but the former president has narrowed the gap more recently.
In April, which is included in Tuesday’s full second quarter totals, Biden and the DNC reported raising more than USD 51 million. That was well short of the USD 76 million that Trump and the Republican Party reported taking in for that month.
Trump also reported raising USD 141 million in May, padded by tens of millions of dollars in contributions that flowed in after Trump’s guilty verdict in his criminal hush money trial.
Biden’s most recent quarterly total was enhanced by a glitzy June fundraiser in Los Angeles that he held with superstars George Clooney and Julia Roberts and former President Barack Obama. That event took in more than USD 30 million, a record for a Democratic candidate.