The campaign team of former US President and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump announced on Monday (June 3) that they, along with the Republican National Committee (RNC), raised a record-breaking $141 million in May. This marks the highest monthly fundraising amount to date.
More than a third of the donations were received within 24 hours after a New York jury issued multiple felony convictions against Trump in the “hush money case,” through online fundraising. Among the over two million donations received, a quarter of the donors made their first contribution to the Trump campaign in 2024 in May.
In a statement, RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chair Lara Trump asserted that the trial in the “hush money case” and other legal challenges facing Trump were baseless attacks intended to keep the former president away from voters.
The statement mentioned that “unfortunately for Democrats, their political stunts have had a historically backfiring effect, with Republicans better poised than ever to remove the cunning Joe Biden from office, elect Trump as president on November 5, and make America great again.”
Additionally, Trump’s campaign team and the RNC announced that an additional $150 million was raised in May to support the organization backing President Trump.
These fundraising statements are yet to be verified. The primary Trump campaign committee, “Donald J. Trump for President 2024, Inc.,” and the RNC’s May fundraising reports are expected to be released by the end of June. The deadline for filing monthly financial reports with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) is June 20.
According to FEC records released on May 20, Trump’s campaign committee raised around $9.4 million in April, with a cash balance of about $49.1 million. The RNC raised approximately $32 million in April, with a month-end cash balance of around $39 million.
As of now, the DNC and Biden campaign team have not disclosed their May fundraising numbers.
However, when Biden’s main campaign committee, “Biden For President,” announced its fundraising figures on May 20, it revealed raising $51 million in April, with a cash balance of $192 million. It is currently unclear if this committee will categorize the DNC’s April fundraising as personal contributions to Biden.
Additionally, two foundations supporting Biden – “Biden For President” and its main ally, the super PAC FF PAC (Future Forward USA Action) – reported to the FEC holding over $141.5 million in funds as of the end of April.
Similarly, at the end of April, three foundations supporting Trump – “Donald J. Trump for President 2024,” the Save America leadership PAC, and the Make America Great Again Inc. super PAC – informed the FEC that their accounts held around $92 million in cash.
Based on the May filings, as of the end of April, the Biden team holds a significant financial advantage over the Trump team. However, if Trump’s campaign team and close allies did indeed raise nearly $300 million in May, this could significantly narrow the financial gap between Biden and Trump.
Nevertheless, as of the information available on May 20, the financial statuses of the two presidential candidates’ campaigns remain uncertain. Some organizations, including joint fundraising committees supporting both Biden and Trump, have not submitted reports, with data expected to be made public by July 15.
Biden’s campaign team’s PR director Michael Tyler concurred with the GOP’s assessment in a statement on May 30, stating that the judgment against Trump would not deprive him of the possibility of running for president.
Tyler said in the statement, “Today’s judgment does not change the simple reality facing Americans, that the only way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office remains the ballot box.”
Both Biden and Trump are expected to be formally nominated at their respective party conventions. The Republican National Convention is set to take place in Milwaukee from July 15 to 18, while the Democratic National Convention is scheduled for August 19 to 22.