Donald Trump’s fundraising has reportedly overtaken Joe Biden’s as the two White House hopefuls brace for their first face-to-face debate on CNN next June 27.
Trump’s campaign notably saw an increase in donations following his felony conviction in New York; by the end of May, the GOP soon-to-be nominee had raised $116.6 million, much exceeding Biden’s $91.6 million.
Trump’s war chest was revealed in the most recent Federal Election Commission filings, whereby his campaign and the Republican National Committee record having total financial reserves of nearly $170 million. According to public records, the 78-year-old tycoon’s financial position was mostly supported by large contributions from conventional Republican funders, such as Timothy Mellon’s $50 million gift to Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC that supports Trump.
Despite a good fundraising rebound in May, when his campaign and related groups raised $85 million, Biden remains trailing. Nonetheless, the Democratic candidate’s spending – which is noticeably higher than Trump’s – seems indicative of a larger campaign infrastructure, with big outlays for payroll, media creation, and ad buying.
The financial turnaround comes as both candidates are preparing for their much anticipated Thursday night debate, which will be held at 9 p.m. ET in Atlanta and will be broadcast by CNN. Biden, whom insiders describe as holed up at Camp David with his closest advisers, is allegedly planning to depict himself as a stable, wise leader while painting his adversary as an extremist with dangerous views, especially on abortion.
On the other hand, Trump allegedly chose an unconventional strategy based on casual policy talks at his Mar-a-Lago mansion with advisors and U.S. senators, in an apparent sign of confidence in his eloquence and ability to convince the audience. According to several sources, his campaign plans to chastise Biden on urgent matters including the costliness of aid to Ukraine, inflation, and immigration.
Thursday’s debate will be a crucial moment for both candidates in advance of an election that will hang in the balance until the last vote. The event will not feature an audience to play to, and there will be stringent speech restrictions with the proviso of cutting off the mic should the speaker go over the time limit.
Biden sees the debate as an opportunity to draw attention to Trump’s unpredictability as a leader and to level up the reproach of his rivals’ divisive remarks regarding illegal migrants. Trump, on the other hand, sees it as a chance to build on his recent fundraising triumphs, invigorate his fans with scathing attacks on Biden’s administration missteps (from foreign wars to the southern border crisis), and highlight the 81-year-old Democratic contender’s mental and physical unfitness.
