US President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address on the US Capitol in Washington, DC on March 7, 2024.
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President Joe Biden’s re-election machine brought in $10 million in the 24 hours after his State of the Union address Thursday — a financial jolt as the campaign tries to build on the general election momentum from the speech.
The amount, first shared with NBC News, is a record for a Biden re-election effort, the campaign said. And it’s remarkable even in the context of big political fundraising numbers. The Biden campaign and affiliated committees that empower the Democratic National Committee and other party groups grossed $42 million in the entire month of Januaryfor example.
The money came in through about 116,000 donations from 113,000 contributors, a senior Biden campaign adviser said. And the total is based on Biden’s early financial advantage over former President Donald Trump.
The Biden campaign itself had $56 million in the bank at the end of January, the most recent period covered by public campaign finance filings, while the DNC had $24 million. Trump and the Republican National Committee, meanwhile, had $30 million and $9 million, respectively. Both businesses also had extra money stashed away in other fundraising accounts.
The Biden camp is leaning toward its first cash advantage, on Saturday launching the first ad of a $30 million, six-week effort to cover swing states with the campaign’s message. The first ad shows Biden speaking directly to the camera, acknowledging his age but saying he “understands[s] how to get things done.” Biden then lists a number of accomplishments since his inauguration and makes a series of contrasts with Trump in the ad.
The Biden campaign said its $10 million post-State of the Union total hit other highs last week. The president’s business raised $1.5 million online Wednesday as Trump became the presumptive GOP nominee.
The campaign reported that grassroots fundraising has reached record levels for the re-election bid in each of the past four months, culminating in new hourly online fundraising records three straight hours during the State of the Union.
“Ten million dollars in 24 hours. To quote the boss, that’s a BFD,” Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement, referring to Biden’s words. colorless hot mic moment celebrating the passage of Obamacare when he was vice president.
“Thank you to our grassroots supporters who are more motivated than ever to re-elect President Biden and Vice President Harris. our rights and our democracy,” Chavez Rodriguez continued, adding, “We send our condolences to the other guy and his bad, bad campaign. It turns out that attacking women’s rights, cutting taxes for the rich, and attacking American democracy isn’t exactly a winning message.”