U.S. President Joe Biden delivers a speech at the grand opening of the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center on June 28, 2024 in New York.
Mandel and | AFP | Getty Images
The Biden campaign has raised $27 million from the day of the first presidential debate through Friday night, a campaign spokesman said declare Saturday.
The numbers come amid Joe Biden’s post-presidential debate fundraiser, during which the campaign hopes to keep pace with former President Donald Trump’s recent donation momentum.
The Biden campaign, the Democratic National Convention and Biden political action committees and committees jointly raised $85 million in May, lagging behind the $141 million raised by Trump in the same month after he was convicted on 34 felonies.
The post-debate campaign also sought to reassure donors that Biden can still deliver victory to Democrats in November despite his poor performance in Thursday’s first debate with Trump.
After a 90-minute standoff in Atlanta, Biden headed to Raleigh, North Carolina, for a rally on Friday, where he struck a more energetic tone and acknowledged his debate missteps.
“Guys, I don’t walk as easily as I used to. I don’t speak as smoothly as I used to. I don’t debate as well as I used to. But I know what I know: I know how to tell the truth,” he said.
After leaving North Carolina, the president flew to New York to speak at the Stonewall National Monument Visitor Center to mark Pride Month. Later that evening, he held several campaign receptions.
Biden will attend more campaign receptions in New York and New Jersey on Saturday before returning to Camp David later in the evening. The events could boost the $27 million raised.
The Biden campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment asking how much of the new fundraising came from grassroots online donors versus high-dollar donors.
Since Thursday’s 90-minute standoff, Democrats have been frantically trying to clean up the mess of Biden’s debate failure.
Biden’s supporters, including former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, have tried to turn the debate around by acknowledging rather than ignoring the president’s debate mistakes, while also asking voters to ignore them.
However, some Democratic strategists have called on Biden to drop out of the presidential race and hand delegates to a new candidate.
Biden and Trump are scheduled to debate again on Sept. 10, a potential chance to salvage the president’s standing among voters, many of whom have expressed concerns about his age and ability to handle a second term.
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