U.S. President Joe Biden speaks at the grand opening ceremony of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center in New York on June 28, 2024.
almond and | Afp | Getty Images
The Biden campaign raised $27 million from the day of the first presidential debate through Friday evening, a campaign spokesman announced Saturday.
The figure comes amid President Joe Biden’s post-debate fundraising surge, as the campaign seeks to keep pace with former President Donald Trump’s recent fundraising momentum.
The Biden campaign, the Democratic National Convention and Biden PACs and committees collectively raised $85 million in May, falling short of Trump’s $141 million the same month the former president was convicted of 34 felonies.
The post-debate campaign also aims to reassure donors that Biden can still pull off a Democratic victory in November, despite his weak performance in Thursday’s first debate against Trump.
After the 90-minute face-off in Atlanta, Biden traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina, on Friday for a rally where he spoke in a more forceful tone and acknowledged his debate mistakes.
“Guys, I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I know: I know how to tell the truth,” he said.
After North Carolina, the president flew to New York to give a speech at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center to mark Pride Month. He hosted several campaign receptions later that evening.
Biden will attend additional campaign receptions in New York and New Jersey on Saturday before returning to Camp David later in the evening. These events are likely to push the fundraising total to $27 million.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment about how much of these new fundraising efforts came from grassroots online donors versus higher-dollar donors.
Since Thursday’s 90-minute duel, Democrats have been in a frenzy, trying to clean up the mess of Biden’s flop in the debate.
Biden supporters, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, have tried to influence the debate by acknowledging the president’s debate errors rather than ignoring them, while urging voters to look past them.
But some Democratic strategists are calling on Biden to drop out of the presidential race and give up his delegates to a new candidate.
Biden and Trump are scheduled to debate again on Sept. 10, a potential redress opportunity for the president’s perception among voters, many of whom have expressed concerns about his age and ability to handle a second term.
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2024-06-29 16:49:15
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