After the first round of the U.S. presidential debate, the Biden campaign claimed to have raised $38 million. Campaign spokesman Michael Taylor said in an interview with MSNBC that the money came from ordinary people's support for Biden. They make small donations through websites to show their recognition and trust in the president. Taylor stressed, "When you're knocked down, you get back on your feet and keep fighting, and that's exactly what the president does." "
It is reported that in just one day after the debate, the Biden team raised $27 million, while the Trump team raised $8 million. Despite the missteps and incoherent statements of both candidates during the debate, Trump appeared to have performed better overall.
Taylor called the huge post-debate donation "one of the most successful fundraising periods since the campaign" and showed that Biden was still "the best man to beat Trump." "No one has worked harder than President Biden to defeat Trump," he stressed. He is the only one who has demonstrated what it takes to truly defeat Trump. "
It is understood that the Biden campaign plans to invest $50 million in paid advertising in July and arrange door-knocking visits to 3 million homes. The money raised will be used primarily for these campaigns to expand Biden's approval ratings and solidify his advantage in key swing states.
At the same time, the Republican camp's campaign finances were greatly boosted in May. Billionaire Timothy Mellon's donation of $50 million to Trump's main PAC, the highest amount ever donated by an individual in this campaign, shows that Trump still enjoys strong support among the wealthy class.
Despite Trump's multiple legal charges, his core supporters do not seem to waver and have instead been more active in donating to it. The generosity of big donors, represented by billionaire Timothy Mellon, injected strong impetus into Trump's campaign. This financial advantage has allowed the Trump team to invest significant resources in key states to expand its influence through advertising, organization and mobilization.
In contrast, although the Biden camp also has a good fundraising performance, it faces internal party doubts and calls for substitution, which may affect the enthusiasm of some donors. The financial gap could put Biden at a disadvantage in some swing states, making it difficult to effectively counter an opponent's offensive. In addition, ample funding gives Trump more room to respond to legal challenges while maintaining campaign momentum. In the long run, the Biden team may be forced to adopt a more conservative campaign strategy, making it difficult to compete on all fronts across the country.
In fact, political donations in the U.S. election are indeed a long-standing tradition, dating back to the early days of the nation's founding. This practice is deeply rooted in American political culture and reflects an important way for citizens to participate in the political process.
Donations play a pivotal role in the U.S. election and can be said to be the money engine of the entire campaign. Candidates need huge sums of money to prop up a nationwide campaign, and every expense from TV ads and social media campaigns to organizing rallies and hiring staff requires deep pockets. Without adequate funding, it is difficult for voters to know even the best of their platform and charisma. As a result, the ability to secure sufficient contributions often determines how far a candidate can go. From this point of view, the U.S. election has become, to some extent, a "money game" where those with deep pockets have the upper hand at the starting line.
However, while donations promote political participation, they also have a number of negative effects. Most worryingly, monetary power can distort the democratic process and allow donors to exert undue influence over candidates and policies. Some plutocrats and special interest groups have eroded the fairness of democracy by using huge donations in exchange for political rewards. In addition, in order to raise funds, candidates have to spend a lot of time and energy reaching out to donors, and have no time to take care of the demands of ordinary voters. The lengthy fundraising process has also exacerbated partisanship and political polarization, with candidates taking increasingly extreme positions to cater to donor preferences.
Over time, the system of political contributions has evolved, resulting in today's complex and vast fundraising system.
Millions of American voters support their identities with small donations. Although these small donations are small in a single amount, they are also a force to be reckoned with. Candidates often emphasize the importance of grassroots donations as a way to demonstrate their public base.
The second is some super-rich people who can donate millions or even tens of millions of dollars at once. These large donations are usually not made directly to candidates, but through so-called super PACs, which have no limits on how much money can be raised.
Again, the corporate world. While direct corporate donations are strictly limited, individual executives, industry associations, and others can provide financial support to candidates through a variety of channels. Certain sectors, such as finance, energy, healthcare, etc., are particularly active in political contributions.