Trump Campaign Manager's Fundraising Boast Backfires
Donald Trump’s 2020 campaign manager, Brad Parscale, boasted Thursday on Twitter about raising $947 million so far for the president’s reelection bid:
HUGE fundraising for @realDonaldTrump in June!
Record $131M - eclipsing any single month in 2016
Record $266M in Q2
$295M cash on hand
$947M total raised
Americans voting with their wallets, supporting the President.https://t.co/l4xr9yhtEK— Brad Parscale (@parscale) July 1, 2020
Parscale ― who has reportedly faced increasing pressure from Trump following a disastrous rally in Tulsa, Oklahoma, last month ― also bragged that the campaign had $295 million in cash on hand.
The revelation prompted many Twitter users to rhetorically ask what the $652 million difference has been spent on, given that Trump continues to fall further behind presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden in national polls.
Some tweeters noted that top Trump campaign officials have reportedly raked in millions of dollars for their work. Parscale’s companies alone have been paid $38.9 million by the campaign, according to a HuffPost analysis. Other Twitter users highlighted how Biden, whose campaign had $82 million in the bank at the end of May, has now out-fundraised Trump for two months straight.
The Trump campaign addressed some of its spending in a fundraising announcement on its website, revealing that it was “investing unprecedented sums into powering the largest field program and data operation in Party history.” The campaign said it has also hired 300 more field staffers.
That did nothing to stop the snark on Twitter, though:
Take a closer look at these numbers.
Using Parscale’s figures, the Trump Campaign:
- raised $681 million before Q2
- had already spent $652 mil of it
That’s insane. They’re burning huge bonfires of money *and* falling further behind. pic.twitter.com/QM62howSiJ— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) July 2, 2020