Joe Biden, left, on February 17, 2024 at the White House, and Donald Trump on January 12, 2021 also at the White House (AFP/Jim WATSON, Brendan Smialowski)
Joe Biden may be unpopular and behind in many polls, but he is campaigning for the November presidential election with better-filled coffers than those of his opponent Donald Trump.
According to their latest monthly declarations, published Thursday by the competent regulatory authority, the Democratic president had a little more than $71 million in new money at the end of February.
This represents twice as much as the Republican tycoon’s cash reserves (33.5 million at the end of last month).
In American electoral life, money, far from being a taboo, is a source of pride for the side that amasses the most.
Joe Biden’s campaign team therefore hastened to slam “broke Don” in an email about the billionaire, himself a big fan of cruel nicknames.
Including the various financing structures on which he relies, the 81-year-old Democrat claims to have a war chest of 155 million dollars, compared to 42 million for the opposing camp.
Donald Trump, surrounded by lawsuits and criminally charged four times, took $5.6 million from the coffers of his “Save America” financing committee, in February alone, to cover his legal costs.
At the risk of damaging the image of a successful businessman that he has built, the former Republican president said he was incapable of providing the New York justice system with a guarantee that he would pay 454 million dollars in fines for financial fraud within his real estate empire.
– 100,000 dollars per photo –
Funding of the Trump and Biden campaigns (AFP/Corin FAIFE)
Joe Biden, whom his rival paints as a vaguely senile failure, has reason to retaliate, and he did not hold back on Wednesday during a meeting with donors in Texas (south).
“The other day, a guy with a crestfallen face came up to me and said, ‘Mr. President, I need your help. I’m drowning in debt. I’m at the end of my rope.’ And I had to tell him ‘Donald, I can’t do anything for you'” he joked.
The president presents himself as the candidate of the middle and popular class. According to Forbes, he still has a personal fortune of around 10 million dollars – compared to 2.6 billion for Donald Trump.
According to experts, 2024 promises to be the most expensive electoral cycle in American history, with amounts even higher than the $14.4 billion spent in 2020 around the various polls – presidential, legislative and other local elections.
These crazy sums are used to finance candidates’ travel, to pay their teams, to commission surveys or to pay for television advertisements.
When they travel, Joe Biden like Donald Trump has a dual objective: to mobilize voters during public meetings, and to seduce donors during more confidential receptions.
The wealthiest supporters draw their checkbooks in exchange for a short interview, a photo, or just for the privilege of hearing their favorite candidate in a small group.
To give an idea of the amounts raised: on Wednesday, Joe Biden raised $2.5 million during a meeting, lasting about an hour, in Dallas.
Donald Trump is not to be outdone. The invitation card for an evening with him on February 22, in Nashville (south), announced an entry ticket at $1,000, and more than $23,000 for privileged access, as well as a photo alongside the republican.
The amounts promise to be even more staggering for the major fundraising operation planned for March 28 in New York around Joe Biden and former Democratic presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama.
The event could raise, according to NBC News, more than $10 million, and it will cost at least $100,000 for a photo with the 42nd, 44th and 46th presidents of the United States.
© 2024 AFP
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