[KARAH RUCKER]

PRESIDENT BIDEN IS ALREADY OUT FUNDRAISING FORMER PRESIDENT TRUMP BY LARGE MARGINS THIS ELECTION CYCLE.

AND THAT’S BEFORE A MAJOR FUNDRAISING EVENT FOR BIDEN THURSDAY NIGHT AT NEW YORK’S RADIO CITY MUSIC HALL FEATURING FORMER PRESIDENTS OBAMA AND CLINTON.

ITS EXPECTED TO GARNER MORE THAN $25 MILLION.

LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT SOME OF THE MONEY BOTH CAMPAIGNS HAVE RAISED SO FAR.

YOU’LL NOTICE BIDEN OUTPACING TRUMP.

WITH CASH ON HAND? IT’S THREE TIMES AS MUCH.

BUT AMONG SMALL DONORS? IT’S TRUMP WITH MORE SUPPORT.

LET’S FIRST LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE – THE TOTAL AMOUNT IN THE BANK FOR EACH CAMPAIGN.

BIDEN HAS RAISED $248 MILLION COMPARED TO TRUMP’S $168 MILLION.

BIDEN NOT ONLY OUT RAISING TRUMP BUT SPENDING LESS TOO.

$92 MILLION SPENT BY BIDEN COMPARED TO TRUMP’S CAMP SPENDING $125 MILLION.

IF YOU LOOK AT THE MOST RECENT FUNDRAISING NUMBERS AVAILABLE – THE TREND OF CASH FLOW FOR BIDEN CONTINUES.

LAST MONTH – BIDEN AND THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY RAISED A COMBINED $53 MILLION DOLLARS.

COMPARED TO TRUMP AND THE RNC’S $31 MILLION.

WHILE TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN HAS SIGNIFICANTLY LESS MONEY OVERALL –

THEY HAVE SO FAR RAISED MORE MONEY THAN BIDEN AMONG SMALL DONORS IN 2024.

THESE ARE PEOPLE WHO MAKE $5, $25, $50 DONATIONS TO A CAMPAIGN –

ANY AMOUNT SMALLER THAN $200.

AMONG THIS GROUP – TRUMP OUT RAISED BIDEN BY ABOUT $10 MILLION IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY.

THAT PACE – THOUGH VERY EARLY – LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT FROM WHAT WE  SAW HAPPEN IN 2020 – WHERE BIDEN RAISED A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT MORE IN SMALL DONATIONS.

THE OTHER ISSUE TRUMP FACES –

FROM THE ALREADY SMALLER POT OF MONEY –

HE’S PULLING FUNDS FOR EXPENSES UNRELATED TO THE CAMPAIGN –

USING SOME OF THE MONEY RAISED TO COVER LEGAL FEES.

HERE’S WHAT THAT PROCESS LOOKS LIKE ACCORDING TO A DONOR FORM REVIEWED BY THE WASHINGTON POST.

OF THE MONEY IN TRUMP’S JOINT FUNDRAISING WITH THE REPUBLICAN PARTY –

THE FIRST $3,300 THAT SOMEONE DONATES GOES TOWARD THE PRIMARY CAMPAIGN.

IF THE DONATION SURPASSES THAT AMOUNT –

THEN THE NEXT $33 HUNDRED OF THE DONATION GOES TOWARD THE GENERAL CAMPAIGN.

IT’S THE NEXT FIVE THOUSAND DOLLARS THAT SOMEONE GIVES – THAT GOES TOWARD WHAT’S CALLED “THE SAVE AMERICA PAC.”

ITS THIS PAC THAT PAYS FOR A PORTION OF TRUMP’S LEGAL FEES.

ACCORDING TO A FORBES REVIEW OF FILINGS FROM SAVE AMERICA –

THEY’VE SPENT NEARLY $50 MILLION SINCE HIS FIRST INDICTMENT WAS ANNOUNCED.

SO HOW MUCH WILL MONEY MATTER IN THE 2024 ELECTION?

CAN BIG DONOR MONEY BUY SOMEONE AN ELECTION VICTORY?

IN 2020 – BIDEN’S CAMPAIGN WAS THE FIRST EVER TO RAISE MORE THAN $1Am BILLION.

THAT YEAR – TRUMP’S CAMPAIGN RAISED $774 MILLION.

AND BIDEN WON.

BUT IN 2016 – HILLARY CLINTON RAISED TWICE AS MUCH MONEY AS TRUMP –

AND LOST.