(RepublicanReport.org) – While the amount of money a campaign raises doesn’t necessarily win a presidential race, it certainly helps. Running for office is expensive, with travel, events, ads, and merch leading the costs. The more funds a party has, the more it can do to support its chosen candidate. As of March, President Joe Biden’s campaign had been outraising former President Donald Trump’s by more than double. This weekend, however, Trump’s campaign reportedly put a dent in the lead.
On April 6, billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson hosted a fundraising event at his home in Palm Beach, Florida. According to his campaign senior advisors Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, the night brought in $50.5 million. If true, that number represents over twice the amount Biden raised during his star-studded New York gala. That event brought in $26 million — breaking records. RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chairman Lara Trump said the reported success of Trump’s fundraising dinner showed that “Americans are fed up with Biden’s record of failure.” They said the GOP is “united behind” Trump.
The former president reportedly stated before the dinner that people across America, no matter their economic status, “are just wanting change.”
Tickets ran as high as $250,000 a plate. But the money won’t solely go toward Trump’s re-election efforts or the Republican National Committee (RNC). Instead, a portion will go toward his mounting legal fees.
Estimates from the end of March show that $107 million of the $254.1 million in Trump donations have gone toward his legal expenses — at least $9.7 million in this year alone. With all that money going to the former president’s lawyers, it’s unclear how much will be left over for him to actually campaign over the next seven months. His first criminal trial starts on April 15, which will take him off the campaign trail during the week, also impacting his efforts to retake the White House.
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