Staff Reports
President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign seems to be leaning heavily on star power, with the president recruiting former big-name politicians like Bill and Hillary Clinton to help rake in the big bucks. At a recent event in Virginia hosted by a close Clinton ally, wealthy donors dug deep and forked over a staggering $8 million to support Biden’s bid for a second term.
Despite Biden’s repeated claims that the legal actions against former President Donald Trump are not politically motivated, he couldn’t resist jabbing at Trump by labeling him a “convicted felon.” Hillary Clinton, still smarting from her 2016 defeat, joined the Trump-bashing parade, while Bill Clinton cracked jokes and praised Biden to keep the donations flowing.
Even First Lady Jill Biden got in on the action, working the donor circuit and hauling in an additional $1.5 million for the campaign. With these funds combined with the hefty $30 million raised in California at a celebrity-studded bash featuring Biden and former President Obama, the president’s war chest got a cozy $40 million boost in less than a week.
However, Biden’s fundraising prowess hit a speed bump last month when Trump and the GOP pulled in $76 million, outstripping the $51 million collected by Biden and the DNC. Trump’s financial muscle flexed again in May with a whopping $141 million haul, including a cool $53 million post-conviction cash grab, dwarfing Biden’s $85 million.
The financial race tightens
Recent FEC filings reveal that Trump’s campaign is sitting on $171 million in cash compared to Biden’s $157 million, signaling a dramatic narrowing of the fundraising gap. And while Trump maintains a slim lead in national polls, Biden’s once-commanding 10-point advantage has all but evaporated.
Moreover, RealClearPolitics data shows Trump holding steady leads in key battleground states crucial for victory. With the money race tightening and the polls showing a much closer contest, Biden might want to start thinking about more than just cashing in on celebrity star power if he hopes to secure a second term in the White House.
