Trump drained cash reserves by $32 million in August to keep campaign afloat

Amid sinking polling numbers, Trump's campaign spent $32 million more than it raised after a weak fundraising month

By Griffin Eckstein

News Fellow

Published September 4, 2024 9:25PM (EDT)

Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena on September 04, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
Republican presidential nominee, former U.S. President Donald Trump participates in a Fox News Town Hall with Sean Hannity at the New Holland Arena on September 04, 2024 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

Donald Trump’s presidential campaign had to dig deep into financial reserves to keep the campaign afloat in several key swing states.

Per Bloomberg, the Trump campaign spent roughly $32 million more than it raised in August, pushing the camp’s cash on hand at the end of the month to $295 million after reeling in $130 million in donations. 

While the figures exclude money pouring into the race from PACs, many of which are funded by uber-wealthy Trump allies, the figures suggest that Trump’s stalling campaign costs more money to keep afloat than it can pull in, as donations slip slightly from July’s nearly $139 million sum.

Trump, who has slipped drastically in the polls since the shake-up, has decried numbers even from the most loyal pollsters as rigged.

The Trump campaign, down in Sun Belt and Rust Belt swing states alike, is pouring nearly all TV ad spend dollars on Georgia and Pennsylvania markets, betting on a narrow path to electoral victory, while Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign outspends in Arizona, Michigan, Nevada, North Carolina, and Wisconsin.

Trump, whose campaign spent just $2.6 million in July, spent nearly 25 times that amount in August, Bloomberg notes, as it sought to build a negative image of Harris, who experiences higher favorable ratings than Trump.

Harris has led Democrats to fundraising peaks since becoming the nominee for president, raising more than $540 million since joining the race and transferring an unprecedented $24.5 million sum to down-ballot candidates earlier this week.


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