Trump Raises $431.2 Million in Q2
Biden Camp Raises $332.4 Million
Difference in July Fundraising Expected to Widen Due to Shooting and Debate
Former President Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate in the United States, has raised more campaign funds than President Joe Biden in the second quarter of this year. It is analyzed that the increase in fundraising was due to the consolidation of his support base following a guilty verdict related to a hush money scandal. On the other hand, President Biden has been under pressure in fundraising after facing calls for resignation following his defeat in the presidential TV debate at the end of last month.
According to major foreign media on the 21st (local time), the Trump campaign received $431.2 million in donations from April to June this year. This amount is $98.9 million more than the Biden campaign's $332.4 million during the same period.
This reverses the trend from the first quarter. In the first quarter, the Biden campaign raised $186 million, more than the Trump campaign's $137 million. The Trump campaign's second-quarter fundraising is three times that of the first quarter and more than double compared to the second quarter of 2020, when the last presidential election was held.
Donations to former President Trump significantly increased after he was found guilty on May 30 in the 'hush money for sexual misconduct' case.
Tim Mellon of Mellon Bank donated $50 million the day after the guilty verdict, and Isaac Perlmutter, former chairman of Marvel Entertainment, also contributed $10 million following the verdict.
Moreover, the second-quarter fundraising statistics do not yet reflect positive events such as the assassination attempt on former President Trump on the 13th and the widely praised victory in the presidential TV debate held on the 27th of last month. In contrast, President Biden is expected to have suffered a significant blow to his fundraising after exposing concerns about his age and cognitive abilities during the presidential TV debate at the end of last month. Major Democratic donors, including IT industry billionaire Mark Pinkus, are pressuring President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race. Under these circumstances, the difference in fundraising amounts between the two former and current presidents is expected to become more pronounced in the July fundraising statistics.
As of the end of June, the Biden campaign's cash reserves were also overtaken by the Trump campaign. The Biden campaign held $281 million in funds as of the end of June, trailing behind the Trump campaign's $336 million. The Trump campaign spent $85.5 million on attorney fees to respond to various civil and criminal lawsuits.
Foreign media commented, "At a time when Democratic donors are increasingly anxious about their candidate's prospects, donations to former President Trump surged," and evaluated that "the guilty verdict against former President Trump in May was a crucial turning point in election fundraising."
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