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Every US election campaign is ultimately a fight for money. If you want to win, you need gigantic resources to finance TV advertising, social media ads and staff in many campaign offices across the country.
According to his team, US President Joe Biden has now collected around $25 million in donations for his election campaign in a single evening. This is a new record, “a historic fundraising,” the Democrats cheered. For comparison: Donald Trump, Biden's competitor in the presidential election campaign, said he received $20.3 million in donations in February.
“Show of democratic unity”
The New York Times described Joe Biden's fundraising gala, which took place on Thursday evening at the Radio City Music Hall in New York, as a "show of democratic unity." Joe Biden appeared at the event alongside former US Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. A conversation between the three was moderated by Stephen Colbert, the current number one on US late-night television. Numerous stars also appeared, including Queen Latifah, Lizzo and Ben Platt.
Tickets for the event cost $225. Anyone who paid $100,000 was allowed to take a selfie with Biden, Obama and Clinton. For a donation of $250,000 there was a personal reception - and for $500,000 there was even more time with the politicians.
Donald Trump was also in the area: a few hours before Biden's gala began, he attended the wake of a New York police officer who was shot in the line of duty at a funeral home on Long Island - and used the opportunity to call for a return to "law and order." . His campaign team tried to contrast the visit with the Democrats' fundraising gala: here the compassionate Trump, there the celebrating Biden.
But this picture also makes clear a new dynamic in the election campaign: Biden has the Democratic establishment behind him, Donald Trump is largely alone.
George W. Bush, the only living former Republican president, has not yet supported Trump's candidacy, nor has Mike Pence, Trump's former vice president.
Trump's fundraising gala is expected to raise $33 million
Donald Trump's campaign team apparently doesn't expect to be able to beat Biden in fundraising either: "We'll never be able to keep up with Biden dollar for dollar," a Trump campaign adviser told reporters.
Donald Trump is also planning a big fundraising gala: He wants to raise money for his election campaign on April 6th with the help of billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson in South Florida. The target amount is $33 million, US media reports.
Biden has so far raised $128.7 million in donations for his election campaign, while Trump has only raised $96.1 million.
Democratic candidates have raised more money than their Republican opponents in every presidential election campaign since 2004. But money is not always an indicator of success: Trump beat Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton in 2016, even though she had invested significantly more money in the election campaign than he had.
vet/AP