Former President Donald Trump raised approximately $130 million in August, according to his campaign announcement on Wednesday night. That amount is slightly less than the nearly $140 million he raised in July, which followed a fundraising push initiated shortly after a failed assassination attempt on July 13. While the Harris campaign has not yet disclosed its August fundraising totals, it is likely to surpass Trump’s figures. Harris campaign manager Jen O’Malley Dillon reported in a memo on August 25 that the vice president had raised $540 million since President Joe Biden exited the race on July 21, including $82 million during the week of the Democratic National Convention.
“With Republicans united and a growing number of Independents and disaffected Democrats crossing partisan lines, the Trump-Vance campaign has momentum for the final stretch of the race,” Trump Campaign senior advisor Brian Hughes said in the press release announcing the fundraising numbers. “These fundraising numbers from August are a reflection of that movement and will propel President Trump’s America First movement back to the White House so we can undo the terrible failures of Harris and Biden.”
Despite the Trump campaign’s optimism, GOP leaders are expressing concerns both privately and publicly about a significant financial gap between the two parties. Liberals hold substantial leads in ad spending across nearly all competitive Senate races. Additionally, the Congressional Leadership Fund, the main super PAC focused on electing Republicans to the House, trails its Democratic counterpart by $70 million in ad spending, according to Politico.
“The only thing preventing us from having a great night in November is the massive financial disparity our party currently faces,” National Republican Senatorial Committee executive director Jason Thielman previously told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “We are on a trajectory to win the majority, but unless something changes drastically in the next six weeks, we will lose winnable seats.”
Statewide Republican parties in several states with tight legislative elections this November, such as Arizona and Wisconsin, have also been outfunded and outspent by their Democratic rivals. Before the Democrats replaced Biden with Harris, the Trump campaign managed to overcome his Democratic opponent’s financial edge, according to Politico. The Trump campaign reported having $295 million in cash on hand at the end of August. The average donation to Trump was $56, with 98% of contributions being under $200, the campaign noted.
Trump is familiar with running campaigns under financial constraints. He defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016 despite having only half as much money, and he narrowly lost to Biden in 2020 despite facing a 3-to-1 cash disadvantage in the final month of the election. “Team Trump has the money, the message, the momentum and a candidate who works harder than anyone in politics,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told the DCNF.