Biden and Democrats raised $51 million in April, far less than Trump and the GOP’s $76 million

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee said Monday that they raised more than $51 million in April, falling well short of the $76 million that Donald Trump and the Republican Party reported taking in for the month.

Biden’s reelection campaign said it had $192 million in cash-on-hand as of the end of last month, which it said was higher than any Democratic candidate in history. But that was also roughly the same amount it reported having at the end of the year’s first quarter on March 30 — suggesting the campaign was spending funds as quickly as it raised them.

April’s totals were also down sharply from March, when the president’s campaign and the DNC announced taking in more than $90 million.

Biden and his party had routinely outraised his predecessor, but Trump’s April haul was boosted by a record-setting $50.5 million his campaign reported taking in during a single event with donors early in the month at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of billionaire investor John Paulson.

That gathering was Trump’s answer to a March event with former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama at New York’s Radio City Music Hall, where the Biden campaign reported raising $26 million. Next month, meanwhile, Biden’s campaign is planning a major Los Angeles fundraiser featuring Hollywood stars George Clooney and Julia Roberts.

Trump and the GOP reported raising more than $65.6 million in March and closed out that month with $93.1 million in cash-on-hand.

Biden’s campaign says a large war chest has allowed it to undertake major advertising campaigns in key states, and to work with the DNC and state parties to better mobilize would-be supporters before November’s election — far outpacing Trump’s on-the-ground efforts.

Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said April’s haul “is giving us the resources necessary to invest in opening offices, hiring organizers and communicating across our battleground states in order to mobilize the coalition of voters who will decide this election.”

The president’s team says it now has more than 150 coordinated offices with Democratic officials, and 500-plus coordinated staff in battleground states.

Trump and the Republicans amassed large fundraising advantages early in the 2020 cycle only to lose that election, however, and polls have shown Biden continuing to face low approval ratings as most voters say they’d rather not see a 2020 rematch.

Still, Trump’s personal finances have lately been strained by legal fees amid his indictments in four criminal cases, including the ongoing trail involving hush money payments to porn actress Stormy Daniels.

The Biden campaign said Monday night that April was its strongest month for recurring donors to date, which such donors contributing more than $5.5 million during the month alone. It said 225,000-plus donors had committed to giving every month, which it said was more than 1.5 times the amount at this point in the 2020 cycle.

Since Biden announced his reelection bid in April 2023, his team says 96% of all its donations have been less than $200, and 1.8 million donors have now made nearly 4.9 million contributions.

Will Weissert, The Associated Press