Former President Donald Trump and the Republican Party have seen a significant increase in fundraising, with the Republican National Committee raising over $32 million in April. The Trump campaign and the national party had over $88 million banked away by the end of the month. However, the Democratic National Committee reported raising almost $35.5 million in April, surpassing the RNC’s fundraising numbers. President Joe Biden’s campaign also surpassed Trump’s fundraising efforts, raising $24.1 million compared to $9.4 million.
While both candidates and national parties have filed reports with the Federal Election Commission, affiliated fundraising committees have not yet disclosed their finances, leaving millions of dollars out of the full financial picture. Statements released by both campaigns suggest that Trump’s fundraising operation may have outraised Biden’s in April, with some money possibly sitting in other committees awaiting transfer to the main players on the GOP. Democrats still hold a significant resource advantage with Biden and the DNC starting May with $146 million in cash on hand compared to $88 million for Republicans.
The fundraising boost for Republicans comes as the party is adjusting to the leadership of RNC chair Michael Whatley and co-chair Lara Trump, Trump’s daughter-in-law. The influx of cash follows high-profile fundraisers by Trump and an intense fundraising push around his legal trial in New York. While Biden continues to have a substantial resource advantage, the increased fundraising is a positive sign for Republicans as they prepare for the upcoming election.
President Trump has been using his ties with the national and state Republican parties to help pay his legal bills, with most of the expenses being covered by his leadership PAC, Save America. The PAC raised nearly $9 million in April, nearly double its haul from March, with two-thirds of the funds coming from transfers through a joint fundraising committee tied to the RNC and state parties. Save America has spent over $62 million on legal bills since the beginning of the year, with a significant portion going towards Trump’s hush money trial in New York.
While Trump has faced mounting legal challenges, the fundraising efforts have allowed Save America to end April with $8.8 million on hand, twice as much as it had at the end of March. The PAC also made a substantial refund to the pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., which had previously received $60 million from Save America. Despite the legal expenses, Save America still carries a debt of over $1.6 million for legal consulting, including amounts owed to Trump’s lead attorney, Todd Blanche.
