Trump’s Campaign Breaks Record: Nearly $1 Billion Spent on Reelection Bid, More than All of 2016
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The Republican Party has spent more than $983 on President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign since 2017, according to new filings with the Federal Election Commission, the most of any presidential candidate at this point in the campaign in history.
The party, combined with Trump’s campaign and two affiliated political action committees, entered July with $296 million on hand, according to the Monday filings. Former Vice President Joe Biden’s campaign, combined with the Democratic National Committee and two affiliated committees, began the month with $238.5 million on hand.
The figure from Trump’s campaign dwarfs spending by past campaigns, including the president’s 2016 campaign. Trump and committees affiliated with his campaign spent $957.6 million that year, according to figures compiled by The Washington Post. Hillary Clinton and affiliated PACs spent $1.4 billion for the year.
At this point in the 2012 election, former President Barack Obama had spent about $550 million — just more than half as much as Trump this year.
The Trump campaign has received criticism — including from its supporters — for its aggressive fundraising tactics this year. Those tactics have included text and email messages telling recipients — many of whom have never donated — threatening to “rescind” membership in the “Trump 100 Club.”
Trump last week announced that campaign manager Brad Parscale would be demoted and replaced by deputy Bill Stepien, potentially upending the campaign in terms of fundraising and organizational methods.
Despite the president’s superior overall fundraising, Biden’s campaign committee raised more than Trump’s in June, $63.4 million to $55.2 million. Public opinion surveys additionally suggest the president and his allies are having a difficult time breaking through to voters, despite their fundraising prowess. A RealClearPolitics average of recent polling showed Biden leading the president by 8.6 percent nationally as of July 21.
