World
Trump dwarfs Biden in latest fundraising numbers in show of political force after felony convictions
NEW YORK (AP) — Donald Trump’s campaign outraised President Joe Biden by more than $60 million last month, according to federal filings made public Thursday that detailed the Republican fundraising explosion sparked by Trump’s felony convictions.
Biden’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee together raised a robust $85 million in May and reported $212 million in the bank at the end of the month. The strong showing does not include roughly $40 million raised by Biden and his top surrogates in recent days — or a separate $20 million donation from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to pro-Biden groups.
Still, Trump’s fundraising for, for one month at least, seemed to dwarf Biden’s.
The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said it raised a jaw-dropping $141 million in May, including tens of millions donated immediately after Trump was convicted of 34 felonies in the New York hush money case. At the same time, billionaire Timothy Mellon, donated a stunning $50 million to a pro-Trump super PAC the day after Trump’s guilty verdict, according to filings made public Thursday.
Trump’s campaign declined to report how much money it had in the bank at the end of May, prompting Biden’s campaign to question whether the groups were still spending heavily to cover Trump’s legal fees.
“Our strong and consistent fundraising program grew by millions of people in May, a clear sign of strong and growing enthusiasm for the president and vice president every single month,” said Biden campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez. “The money we continue to raise matters, and it’s helping the campaign build out an operation that invests in reaching and winning the voters who will decide this election –- a stark contrast to Trump’s PR stunts and photo-ops that he’s pretending is a campaign.
What to know about the 2024 Election
Taken together, the numbers detailed in the campaigns’ latest Federal Election Commission filings suggest that Democrats may still maintain a cash advantage in the 2024 presidential contest. But almost four months before Election Day, Trump’s side is closing the gap — if it isn’t closed already.
The new fundraising figures also underscore the extent to which the rules of presidential politics are being re-written in the Trump era.
At almost any other time in U.S. history, a presidential candidate would have been forced to leave an election after being convicted of dozens of felonies. But in 2024, Trump’s guilty verdict has instead fueled a massive fundraising surge that puts his team in a position to ramp up advertising and swing state infrastructure just as voters begin paying closer attention to the election.
Backed by Mellon’s massive donation, the pro-Trump super PAC known as MAGA Inc. reserved $3.5 million in television advertising set to begin July 3 across Georgia and Pennsylvania on Thursday, according to the media tracking firm AdImpact. Overall, the group reported a $68.8 million haul for May, ending the month with $93.7 million in the bank.
Mellon has been among the biggest donors to Trump and independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., although his support for Kennedy may be fading.
Kennedy raised $2.6 million last month and finished May with $6.4 million in the bank. The vast majority of his fundraising total came from running mate Nicole Shanahan, a wealthy Silicon Valley lawyer. The Kennedy campaign spent more than it raised for the month.
The numbers reported on Thursday did not include anything raised in June, including roughly $40 million raised by Biden and his top surrogates in recent days. The vast majority came from a glitzy fundraiser last Saturday with movie stars and former President Barack Obama in Los Angeles that raised more than $30 million. First lady Jill Biden also has been on her own personal fundraising swing that has brought in $1.5 million.
Meanwhile, Biden also got a big boost from Bloomberg.
The billionaire philanthropist, who briefly ran for president as a Democrat in 2020, sent $19 million to the pro-Biden group Future Forward in addition to sending the legal maximum of $929,600 to the Biden Victory Fund, according to a person familiar with the transfers.
Bloomberg also formally endorsed Biden on Thursday. “I stood with Joe Biden in 2020, and I am proud to do so again,” Bloomberg said in a statement.
The Biden campaign said that the vast majority of its latest fundraising came from grassroots donors such as nurses, teachers and retirees. Overall, the Biden campaign and Democratic National Committee attracted more than three million new donors last month, according to a statement from the campaign.
“While Trump is leaching off his billionaire sycophants, our campaign represents the voices of America, and we’re honored to have their support as we race toward November,” Democratic National Committee Chair Jaime Harrison said.
___
AP writer Seung Min Kim in Washington and Jill Colvin in New York contributed.
World
Couple publicly caned after alleged TikTok kiss sparks outrage in Indonesia
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A young couple in Indonesia was publicly caned Thursday after allegedly kissing during a TikTok livestream.
The couple — a 22-year-old man and a 25-year-old woman — each received 21 lashes, according to The Associated Press.
They were reportedly convicted of violating local morality laws under an Islamic Sharia court in Indonesia’s conservative Aceh province.
The pair, who were detained in March, had already spent four months in prison prior to the punishment, which ultimately reduced their sentence from 25 lashes to 21, the AP said.
SOUTH CAROLINA FITNESS TRAINER TOLD FRIENDS SHE WANTED TO LEAVE HER NOW-HUSBAND YEARS BEFORE BODY WAS FOUND
Shariah law officials assist an unmarried woman, convicted of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream, to get up after being publicly caned, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
According to local authorities, the couple filmed a TikTok video inside a car one night in March.
As the video went viral, they were subsequently apprehended for what officials described as an “immoral act.”
“Their actions were uncovered thanks to reports from residents who were disturbed by their immoral livestream content,” Sharia police said in April.
“The trigger was their livestream on TikTok while engaging in immoral acts in the car,” Head of the Sharia Police Muhammad Rizal added in his statement. “This sparked criticism from netizens and local residents, who then reported them to the authorities.”
THREE HIKERS KILLED AFTER CLIMBING RESTRICTED INDONESIAN VOLCANO TO CREATE ONLINE CONTENT, POLICE SAY
A man is publicly caned after he was convicted of violating Islamic law by kissing during a TikTok livestream in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
The court also confiscated a cellphone and a USB flash drive containing the TikTok video, which authorities promised to destroy, according to the AP.
A Banda Aceh resident who attended the caning, 22-year-old Aini Nadhirah, said she believed the punishment was “entirely justified.”
“In my opinion, this caning is entirely justified because it serves as a warning to other Aceh residents to be more careful when using social media,” Nadhirah said, according to the AP.
“It also raises awareness that such actions are unacceptable, thereby educating the public.”
STUNNING PHOTOS CAPTURE MOMENT ONE OF INDONESIA’S MOST ACTIVE VOLCANOES ERUPTS
Aceh is the only province in Muslim-majority Indonesia that enforces its own Islamic Criminal Code governing moral conduct.
The province’s right to implement Islamic law was granted by Indonesia’s secular central government around 2005 as part of a peace deal to end a separatist insurgency. The policy was later expanded to apply to non-Muslims.
Under the law, moral offenses — including adultery and same-sex relations — can carry penalties of up to 100 lashes. Caning is also used for individuals accused of gambling, drinking, adultery and premarital intimacy.
Shariah law officials escort a woman convicted of violating Islamic law by kissing a man, both unmarried, during a TikTok livestream after her public caning, in Banda Aceh, Indonesia, Thursday, July 2, 2026. (AP Photo/Reza Saifullah)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Public caning in Aceh has long drawn criticism from human rights groups, including Amnesty International Indonesia, which has called the practice cruel and degrading.
Despite Indonesia having ratified international conventions prohibiting cruel punishment, authorities in Aceh defend the practice, arguing it does not fall under such a definition.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
World
Watch: Following the money—the EPPO investigation into defunct far-right EU group
Published on
This week, The European Public Prosecutor’s Office has launched a fresh wave of raids across France, Spain, Italy and Belgium. They are digging into the 4.3 million euros of EU funds allegedly misused by the European Parliament’s Identity and Democracy group between 2019-2024. What’s going on?
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
The prosecutors are scrutinising whether the party breached public tender rules when awarding public contracts and issued irregular donations using those taxpayer funds.
Importantly, that political group is dead. It has been rebranded into the new “Patriots for Europe” coalition, led by the rising star Jordan Bardella. They are currently the third-largest force in the European Parliament.
It seems like the name on the office door has changed, but the paper trail remains. And the European prosecutors are conducting searches at the offices and homes of communication providers tied to that old group.
Last year when the investigation was announced, Bardella claimed it was “a new harassment operation.”
At the same time, the timing for the National Rally, so Bardella’s party, could not be more brutal.
Next week, Marine Le Pen discovers if a Paris court will uphold a five-year ban from public office on allegations of, well, embezzling public funds. If she is out, Bardella is the designated successor.
Will the National Rally maintain its political momentum? After all, the party relies on its image as the “voice of the people” against a distant Brussels elite.
Watch the Euronews video in the player above for the full story.
World
US Resumes Dollar Transfers to Iraq, NYT Reports
-
Lifestyle29 minutes agoTo be or not to be a parent : It’s Been a Minute
-
Technology41 minutes agoSony’s PlayStation disc factory is already being repurposed
-
World44 minutes agoCouple publicly caned after alleged TikTok kiss sparks outrage in Indonesia
-
Politics49 minutes agoWATCH: Controversial SCOTUS decision strikes a divide among lawmakers
-
Health56 minutes agoBig Medicare change slashes weight-loss drug costs for eligible seniors
-
Sports59 minutes agoVAR denies Croatia’s game-tying goal as Cristiano Ronaldo leads Portugal to Round of 16
-
Technology1 hour agoNew sodium-ion battery could reshape grid storage
-
Business1 hour agoHome insurer surcharges for wildfires is legal, judge rules