Snopes’ debunking of Charlottesville hoax shows Biden lied, says Trump campaign
The Trump campaign says a recent fact-check report debunking the claim that then-President Trump spoke favorably of neo-Nazis in 2017 shows President Biden and his campaign had promoted a “lie” and called on them to not promote the “hoax” again. Left-leaning fact-checking website Snopes published a piece Saturday debunking claims promoted by President Biden and some members of the media that following the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, Trump called neo-Nazis “very fine people.” Biden has repeatedly cited the false claim, even saying it was the impetus for his 2020 White House run against Trump. Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt told Fox News Digital on Sunday that the Snopes fact check shows Biden and other “corrupt Democrats” promoted a “lie” and “hoax.” “The Charlottesville lie was another hoax perpetuated by the corrupt Democrats and their mouthpieces in the fake news media, just like the Hunter Biden laptop, the Russian collusion scandal and so many others, all in an attempt to smear President Trump. Joe Biden’s campaign must end any advertising that pushes this lie because President Trump has, once again, been proven right,” she said. LEFT-WING FACT-CHECKER ADMITS TRUMP NEVER CALLED CHARLOTTESVILLE NEO-NAZIS ‘VERY FINE PEOPLE’ IN BLOW TO BIDEN Snopes detailed in its fact check that Trump was clear he was not calling neo-Nazis “fine people” when he made the comment at a press conference that year. BIDEN ONCE RIPPED ‘ANTISEMITIC BILE’ BUT NOW FACES OWN ‘CHARLOTTESVILLE MOMENT’ “While Trump did say that there were ‘very fine people on both sides,’ he also specifically noted that he was not talking about neo-Nazis and White supremacists and said they should be ‘condemned totally.’ Therefore, we have rated this claim ‘False,’” Snopes wrote. The fact check, which comes just days ahead of the first debate between Trump and Biden, now aligns with Trump’s longstanding argument that the remarks were taken out of context before they quickly spread on social media and were promoted by the left and members of the media. The protests in Charlottesville in 2017, which played out across two days in August 2017, included White nationalists descending on the city who were met by hundreds of counterprotesters. The protests devolved into violence, including three deaths and dozens of injuries stemming from a car plowing through people and other attacks. FETTERMAN ‘NOT WRONG’ TO COMPARE COLUMBIA PROTESTS TO CHARLOTTESVILLE, CNN HOST SAYS The protests were condemned by both Republicans and Democrats as a hateful display of bigotry, including Trump at the time, who said in a statement that such protests and violence have “no place in America.” KARINE JEAN-PIERRE DOUBLES DOWN ON ‘CHEAP FAKE’ BIDEN VIDEOS: ‘SO MUCH MISINFORMATION’ “We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides,” Trump said in August that year. Trump added days later in a press conference that he condemned the “egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence” and came under fire from Democrats for his remarks that there was “blame on both sides” and “very fine people, on both sides.” Biden cast the events in Charlottesville, and his framing of former President Trump’s response, as the incentive to run for the White House in 2020. “With those words, the president of the United States assigned a moral equivalence between those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it,” Biden said in 2019 when announcing his candidacy. Biden has repeatedly pointed to Charlottesville as a moment of shame for the nation, including on the fourth anniversary, when the White House released a statement saying the rally was a “battle for the soul of America was laid bare for all to see.” TRUMP DECRIES COLUMBIA AGITATORS, CALLS CHARLOTTESVILLE ‘PEANUTS’ COMPARED TO CAMPUS ANTI-ISRAEL UNREST Earlier this year, Biden was slammed for having his own “Charlottesville moment” as anti-Israel protests spread on college campuses nationwide in the wake of Hamas’ attack on the nation in October, sparking an ongoing war. “I condemn the antisemitic protests. That’s why I have set up a program to deal with that. I also condemn those who don’t understand what’s going on with the Palestinians,” Biden told reporters in April as the protests raged. Critics of the president soon sounded off on social media that Biden’s comments echoed claims of what Trump said in 2017 about the Charlottesville riots. “This sure sounds like he’s ACTUALLY saying there are very fine people on both sides,” OutKick founder Clay Travis said. The Federalist’s editor-in-chief, Mollie Hemingway, wrote, “President Biden says there are good people on both sides of October 7.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Fox News Digital reached out to the Biden campaign for comment on the Snopes fact check and the Trump campaign’s response but did not immediately receive a response. Fox News Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
Biden official says past social media posts don’t reflect ‘current views,’ vows to support admin ‘agenda’
A White House official who stoked controversy with social media posts attacking police, supporting the anti-Israel movement, and promoting “Russiagate,” is now downplaying these posts, saying that they were written when he was younger and do not reflect his current views. Tyler Cherry was promoted last week as an associate communications director at the White House, after more than three years at the Department of Interior working for Secretary Deb Haaland. The promotion brought renewed attention to some of Cherry’s past incendiary posts. WHITE HOUSE PROMOTES BIDEN OFFICIAL WHO COMPARED POLICE TO SLAVE PATROLS, WANTS TO ABOLISH ICE In one tweet, from 2015, Cherry said he was “praying even harder for an end to a capitalistic police state motivated by explicit and implicit racial biases.” The tweet came amid riots sparked by the police custody death of Freddie Gray, a Black man, in Baltimore. WHITE HOUSE FINALIZES RULES INCREASING CLEAN ENERGY SUBSIDIES FIVEFOLD IN BID TO SUPPORT GREEN JOBS In another post a few months later, Cherry said modern day policing was a “direct evolution of slave patrols and lynch mobs.” Many of his posts have championed the cause of Palestinians against Israel. In one post from July 25, 2014, Cherry wrote: “Cheersing in bars to ending the occupation of Palestine – no shame and f— your glares #ISupportGaza #FreePalestine.” Others posts have been directed at Republicans, whom he has accused of being too focused on “white grievance politics.” Another outright calling for abolishing U.S. Immigration and Customts Enforcement (ICE). On Sunday, Cherry wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “Past social media posts from when I was younger do not reflect my current views. Period.” “I support this Administration’s agenda – and will continue my communications work focused on our climate and environmental policies,” he wrote. Fox News Digital has reached out to Cherry for comment about the evolution of his beliefs. White House senior deputy press secretary Andrew Bates previously told Fox News Digital that the White House was “very proud to have Tyler on the team.” The Biden administration, much to the dismay of the progressive wing of the Democratic Party, has reaffirmed its support of Israel as the country continues waging war on Hamas in response to the terrorist group’s attack on Oct. 7 that killed around 1,200 people and saw hundreds taken hostage. In recent months though, there has been a growing rift between the Biden administration and that of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The White House has grown increasingly critical of his leadership over the past months as the death toll in Gaza has risen. Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
GOP senator says Biden better ‘pray’ for presidential immunity over border policies
Republican South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham said President Biden should “pray” for presidential immunity over his border policies that Graham said have opened the doors to violent illegal immigrants to carry out rapes and murders against Americans. “Joe Biden better hope and pray there’s presidential immunity, because when he allowed the killer of Laken Riley to be released on parole because [of] lack of capacity, I think he’s subject not only to lawsuit, but criminal prosecution – if there’s not presidential immunity,” Graham said on “Fox News Sunday.” Graham’s comment came amid discussion about the Democratic Party’s increased criticism of the Supreme Court, including Biden saying earlier this month that the “Supreme Court has never been as out of kilter as it is today,” and the Senate possibly enforcing an ethics code on SCOTUS. The Republican senator argued that Democrats are attacking the high court to protect Biden’s record in office, including immigration policies that have led to more than 7 million illegal immigrants crossing the border. ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT SUSPECT IN LAKEN RILEY’S MURDER INDICTED, ACCUSED OF ‘PEEPING’ ON UGA STAFF MEMBER “The border is beyond broken. You have wars in Ukraine. You have the Mideast on fire. When it comes to enforcing the law, Joe Biden has been beyond reckless. He’s taken a parole statute that’s limited in nature and has given a million people parole,” Graham said. BIDEN UNDER FIRE FOR WITHHOLDING WEAPONS FOR GAZA OFFENSIVE: ‘THIS IS A NIGHTMARE’ FOR ISRAEL Graham cited the murder of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was discovered beaten to death in February after going for a run on the University of Georgia campus. The Augusta University student crossed paths with illegal immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra, according to authorities, and died from blunt force trauma to the head. LAKEN RILEY’S MOTHER SPEAKS OUT ABOUT ‘AVOIDABLE TRAGEDY’ AFTER DAUGHTER’S FUNERAL “Laken Riley’s murderer was paroled because they had lack of capacity in El Paso. They let him out under the parole statute because they were full. There’s nothing in the statute that says you can go cause you’re full. And he killed this lady. On and on and on. All of these women who’ve been raped and murdered have one thing in common. The people that killed them, raped them and murdered them were in our custody and let go, I think, illegally,” he continued before suggesting Biden could face prosecution over his border policies. CELEBS SHOWER BIDEN WITH CAMPAIGN CASH, BUT COULD UNDERCUT ‘SCRANTON JOE’ IMAGE Presidential immunity has become a hot topic this election cycle, as former President Trump faces a bevy of court cases ahead of the 2024 election. The Supreme Court is expected to issue an opinion regarding whether Trump is immune from prosecution in Special Counsel Jack Smith’s election interference case, which is currently postponed indefinitely.
Migrant Medicaid costs cut in half in Florida following DeSantis’ policy change: report
The amount of Medicaid money Florida has paid out to undocumented migrants has been cut by over half after a new law signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Florida’s Emergency Medical Assistance program for undocumented immigrants has had a 54% reduction in spending this year, falling from $148.4 million to $67 million with two months to go in the fiscal year, according to a report from Politico. The dramatic drop comes after DeSantis signed a law last year that directed hospitals that accept Medicaid to ask patients about their immigration status, the report notes, though the law does not require migrants to provide the hospitals with an answer. RON DESANTIS TOUTS FLORIDA’S EDUCATION SYSTEM, SLAMS ‘WOKE’ ACADEMIA IN SARASOTA ADDRESS While federal law does ban undocumented migrants from being eligible for Medicaid, it provides a carveout that requires states to offer limited coverage to migrants facing a medical emergency. Immigrant advocacy groups raised fears the new law would scare away migrants from seeking emergency medical attention in the state, the report notes, though the DeSantis administration has touted the results as a sign his policies are working. FEDERAL JUDGE RULES FLORIDA RESTRICTIONS ON TRANSGENDER MEDICAL TREATMENT FOR KIDS UNCONSTITUTIONAL The law has been part of the Republican governor’s overall crackdown on illegal immigration, moves he claims have been made necessary by the Biden administration’s policies at the southern border. Critics of the law have claimed that there is no evidence it is responsible for the drop in spending, citing an exodus of migrants from the state and data that shows spending on migrant emergency care had been decreasing since FY 2022. That year, the state spent $171.4 million, a number that dropped to $148.4 million in FY 2023. The state approved over 147,000 emergency authorizations in FY 2022, dropping to 116,000 in 2023. With two months to go before the end of FY 2024, the station has only made 99,000 similar authorizations. DeSantis’ office did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Young Trump superfan brought to tears while meeting former president
A young fan dressed as former President Trump was brought to tears when he got to meet the real-life former president. A video shared to social media by Trump deputy director of communications Margo Martin shows Trump approaching his young fan, who was dressed in a suit and tie with a blonde wig made to match the hairstyle of the former president. Trump can be seen in the video enthusiastically greeting the child and presenting him with a signed $20 bill before posing for pictures, making the young superfan tear up in the process. BIDEN OFFERS ‘CONDOLENCES’ BUT NO SOLUTION AFTER LATEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER ALLEGATION “I like that kid! So, if your parents don’t want you, I’ll take you,” Trump quipped to the crowd, drawing laughter. The video quickly went viral on X, garnering nearly 900,000 views as of 3 p.m. Sunday. The video also drew thousands of reactions from users on X, many taking shots at Trump’s opponent in the election, President Biden. FBI DIRECTOR WRAY WARNED OF TERROR THREAT POSED BY OPEN BORDER DAYS BEFORE 8 ISIS SUSPECTS ARRESTED ACROSS US “Biden would never, and could never,” one user said. “Can you imagine a young guy dressed up like Joe Biden with an ice cream cone in his hand and no hair on his head?” another user said. “No videos of Biden ever doing things like this,” added another. Others commented on how the moment will likely be cherished by the young Trump admirer forever. “What an unforgettable moment for this young man,” one user said. The viral moment happened during Trump’s swing through Philadelphia, with the former president meeting the young boy at the popular Tony and Nick’s sandwich shop. Trump left a $500 tip at the restaurant, according to a report from Newsweek, taking the moment to also tout his proposal to make tips for restaurant workers tax-free.
Campaign walks back Trump’s green card promise
Former President Trump’s campaign walked back a promise that the former president would “automatically” award green cards to migrants after they graduate from college. “President Trump has made it clear that on day one of his new administration, he’s going to shut down the border and launch the largest mass deportation effort of illegal aliens in history,” Trump campaign national press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in a statement last week, according to a New York Post report, noting that the former president would include an “aggressive vetting process” and “exclude all communists, radical Islamists, Hamas supporters, America haters and public charges.” The comments come after Trump’s appearance on the “All-in Podcast” last week, where the former president outlined an idea to give all foreign college graduates a green card with their diploma. BIDEN OFFERS ‘CONDOLENCES’ BUT NO SOLUTION AFTER LATEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRANT MURDER ALLEGATION “You graduate from a college, I think you should get automatically, as part of your diploma, a green card to be able to stay in this country, and that includes junior colleges, too,” Trump said during the appearance. The proposal received immediate pushback, with Center for Immigration Studies Executive Director Mark Krikorian telling the New York Post that such a handout was “a cockamamie proposal” that would prompt a “fire hose of foreign cash” by “stapling a green card to the diploma” of a U.S. college graduate. “If someone earns a Ph.D. at a university in a hard science, I personally will drive to their house and give them a green card,” Krikorian said. “The issue is any foreign college graduate, even from a bogus two-year master’s program or gender studies [major], would get a green card.” The critique was echoed by Chris Chmielenski, the president of the conservative Immigration Accountability Project, who argued such a plan “would reduce wages for all Americans, increase job competition, particularly for recent college graduates, and pose a national security threat.” FBI DIRECTOR WRAY WARNED OF TERROR THREAT POSED BY OPEN BORDER DAYS BEFORE 8 ISIS SUSPECTS ARRESTED ACROSS US “U.S. immigration policy must serve the interests of all Americans, not the interests of elite business leaders who seek cheap labor,” he said. Meanwhile, the Biden campaign also took aim at the remarks, telling Fox News Digital that his proposal represented an “empty promise,” most notably to “the countless people that have been permanently damaged by his first-term in office.” “Every chance Donald Trump got in office, he made it his mission to rip apart immigrant families for his own political gain,” campaign spokesperson Kevin Munoz said. “He’s also proudly running to go even further in a second term, not only by openly echoing Nazi rhetoric around immigrants, but also by promising cruel policies like rounding up immigrants and putting them into mass detention camps.” But Leavitt sought to clarify the president’s remarks in her statements, noting that such a program “would only apply to the most thoroughly vetted college graduates who would never undercut American wages or workers.” “He believes, only after such vetting has taken place, we ought to keep the most skilled graduates who can make significant contributions to America,” Leavitt said. “This would only apply to the most thoroughly vetted college graduates who would never undercut American wages or workers.” The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.
Former Trump national security adviser details potential game plan to divide ‘axis of evil’
Former Trump administration national security adviser Robert O’Brien on Sunday laid out a potential game plan to divide the so-called “axis of evil” as relations continue to grow between Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. O’Brien appeared on CBS’ “Face the Nation” and remarked that the Biden administration’s “lack of American leadership” has allowed this new alliance to flourish. “We haven’t seen peace or strength,” O’Brien said of America’s role on the world stage under Biden. When asked how former President Trump would drive a wedge between the axis of evil after Russian President Vladimir Putin was seen driving with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in North Korea last week, O’Brien said the first thing the U.S. can do is increase domestic energy production. RUSSIA ‘OPEN TO DIALOGUE’ WITH US: KREMLIN “These countries are reliant on Russian energy to run their economies,” he said. “We need to increase our energy production.” The former Trump official said Biden diminished American energy production after taking office and canceling the Keystone XL pipeline in the U.S., while allowing Putin to open the Nord Stream Two pipeline that runs from Russia to Germany. Alongside increasing U.S. energy production, O’Brien called for sanctions on the Russian Federation Central Bank, as well as cutting back on Russian oil sales. Regarding Tehran, O’Brien said the U.S. and its allies “need to put maximum pressure back on the Iranians.” CHINA SILENT AS RUSSIA AND NORTH KOREA FORGE NEW DEFENSE PACT, RAISING REGIONAL POWER SHIFT CONCERNS In addition to those steps, O’Brien said that rebuilding the U.S. military and Navy, and getting “our shipyards producing ships again,” would help assert “peace through strength.” “Those are the things that’ll divide the alliance, this axis of evil,” O’Brien said. After failing to stop Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, O’Brien said the U.S. must take a strong posture in Asia to deter China from a similar invasion of Taiwan. He said moving U.S. Marines out of Germany and other garrisons in Europe to Guam, Hawaii, the Philippines and Australia would act as a strong message to China not to invade. “The key is to deter war, not to fight and win a war, which we would need to do if it happens,” O’Brien said. “Strength will deter the Chinese from invading. It’s not talk. It’s how they see our force posture.”
Rahul Gandhi pens emotional letter to people of Wayanad, says ‘When I faced abuse…’
Rahul Gandhi had won both from Wayanad and Rae Bareli Lok Sabha constituencies and must vacate one of the seats within 14 days of the Lok Sabha results, which came out on June 4.
Celebs shower Biden with campaign cash, but could undercut ‘Scranton Joe’ image
Celebrities and elites at the highest echelons of American society and industry have showered President Biden’s re-election campaign with massive donations, which could undercut the 46th president’s homespun “Scranton Joe” and “Amtrak Joe” image. Biden took the stage of Los Angeles’s Peacock Theater earlier this month, when he was flanked by former President Obama and late night host Jimmy Kimmel. The audience, performers and others attending the event in Biden’s support included Hollywood elites such as George Clooney, Julia Roberts, Barbra Streisand, Jack Black, Jason Bateman, Kathryn Hahn and Mindy Kaling, Vanity Fair reported. The star-studded fundraiser was a monetary success for the president’s re-election campaign, shattering previous Democratic fundraising benchmarks with $30 million in donations, the Biden campaign said earlier this month. The swank fundraiser, however, comes at a time when inflation continues throttling the average American household, and the president pitches himself to voters as a man of the people with humble roots in Scranton, Pennsylvania. “2024 will be a choice between two very different economic visions for America: Donald Trump, who sees the world from his country club at Mar-a-Lago, and President Biden, who sees the world from kitchen tables in Scranton,” Biden’s campaign website reads. BIDEN LOOKS TO CAPITALIZE ON STAR-STUDDED HOLLYWOOD FUNDRAISER AFTER TRUMP’S MASSIVE CASH HAUL IN BLUE STATE TRUMP CATCHES UP TO BIDEN IN CASH DASH, BUT CAN HE SPEND THE MONEY IN TIME? The 2023-2024 election cycle is anticipated to be the most costly in history, with Forbes reporting political ad spending would top $10 billion across White House and congressional races. Following Biden announcing in April of last year that he’d “finish the job” and run for re-election, the Biden-Harris campaign amped up its fundraisers for the anticipated rematch against former President Trump. As Hollywood’s writers’ strike raged last year, Biden engaged with Broadway stars to boost campaign funds, with performers such as Sara Bareilles, Lin-Manuel Miranda and Ben Platt appearing on behalf of Biden in September for a star-studded fundraiser, the AP reported. BIDEN HAS A MASSIVE MAY FUNDRAISING HAUL, BUT COMES UP FAR SHORT OF TRUMP As 2023 drew to a close, Biden went on a Hollywood-focused fundraiser blitz. Singer James Taylor performed during a Boston fundraiser in December, before the president traveled to Los Angeles, where he held a series of fundraisers, including one joined by filmmaker Steven Spielberg, director and actor Rob Reiner and producer Shonda Rhimes, in addition to California politicos such as Gov. Gavin Newsom and Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Adam Schiff. Singer Lenny Kravitz performed during the event, which cost $1,000 to $500,000 per ticket, the Los Angeles Daily News reported at the time. BLOOMBERG, CONSERVATIVE BANKING HEIR MELLON, SHELL OUT MILLIONS TO BOOST BIDEN, TRUMP Vice President Kamala Harris also attended swank fundraisers last year, including one on Martha’s Vineyard with “Suits” actor Wendell Pierce during an event billed as “grassroots” that sold tickets for $50 to $10,000. BILL AND HILLARY CLINTON TAP INTO THEIR MONEY MEN FOR BIDEN’S BATTLE AGAINST TRUMP Hollywood stars and executives were among the first to pad Biden’s campaign coffers ahead of the election cycle kicking off in earnest this year. Former Walt Disney Studios chair Jeffrey Katzenberg, for example, made an $889,600 contribution to Biden last year, as did Lin-Manuel Miranda, when he donated $20,000, Deadline reported last year. Other Hollywood and tech leaders made sizable donations to the Biden Victory Fund, DNC, or other Democratic initiatives in 2023, such as OpenAI CEO Sam Altman donating $200,000, actor and voice actor Seth MacFarlane donating $100,000, and music composer Michael Skloff donating $100,000, the outlet reported. The Biden campaign and Democratic National Committee announced earlier this year that they raised $97 million in the last three months of 2023, which PBS reported was “boosted” by Biden’s swank events with Hollywood stars. The Biden-Harris campaign continued courting celebrities and other moneyed elites this year, including at New York City’s Radio City in March, which was hosted by actress Mindy Kaling, with late night host Stephen Colbert moderating a conversation with Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton. Special guests such as Queen Latifah, Lizzo and Ben Platt were also in attendance, according to media reports. The event pulled in more than $26 million, according to the campaign. LATE NIGHT HOSTS AVOIDING CHANCES TO MOCK BIDEN DESPITE ‘HARD-EARNED REPUTATION AS A GAFFE MACHINE’: REPORT Harris also headlined fundraising events in her native California earlier this year, where she joined a clean energy leader in San Francisco, before another stop at the home of author Robert Mailer Anderson and Oracle heiress Nicola Miner in the city’s Pacific Heights neighborhood. The Pacific Heights fundraiser cost attendees upward of $100,00 per person, and included support from theater director Jonathan Moscone and Mayor London Breed, as well as a performance from singer Carole King, the San Francisco Standard reported at the time. Trump, whose real estate background and reality TV success cemented him in Hollywood’s orbit pre-politics, has also held high-profile fundraisers this election cycle, but seldom with movie elites. Instead, he has held swank events at his Mar-a-Lago estate, met with residents of wealthy areas such as Atlanta’s Buckhead neighborhood, and has attended high-profile public events at Madison Square Garden, but not for fundraising purposes. Biden previously had a massive fundraising advantage over Trump in the 2024 race for the White House, but recent windfalls following Trump’s conviction in the New York criminal trial have essentially erased Biden’s lead, Fox News Digital reported this weekend. Trump and the RNC notched their second consecutive month in May of outraising Biden and the DNC, all while not yet launching a general election ad buy. Biden’s campaign, conversely, has spent at least $65 million on ad purchases. LATE-NIGHT DNCTV? COLBERT, KIMMEL FUNDRAISE FOR PRESIDENT BIDEN “The only people in America who support Joe Biden’s failing campaign are elitist Hollywood celebrities,” Trump spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said in a statement earlier this month. Biden’s ritzy fundraisers were also slammed in a Wall Street Journal op-ed last week
Biden backers express ‘depression’ after Trump’s massive fundraising haul: report
Donors to President Biden’s re-election campaign are feeling the heat after former President Trump’s recent fundraising hauls erased what was seemingly an insurmountable cash gap. “There was the strategy of raising all this money on the front end so we could have this huge edge,” a major Biden donor, who wanted to remain anonymous, told Politico in a report Sunday. “The whole point of it was to come out with a sizable cash advantage and, you know, we’re now even and it’s June.… I have no other word for it other than ‘depression’ among Biden supporters.” The comments come after Trump was the beneficiary of a wave of donations, outraising Biden and the Democratic National Committee in back-to-back months and essentially erasing what was once a massive cash-on-hand advantage for Biden. TRUMP CATCHES UP TO BIDEN IN CASH DASH, BUT CAN HE SPEND THE MONEY IN TIME? Another major Biden donor, who was also granted anonymity by Politico, described the new fundraising developments as “disappointing, but not surprising.” Trump’s massive fundraising hauls come after he clinched the GOP nomination in early March, recording another major surge after being convicted on 34 felony counts in New York in May. Trump’s haul also comes as Make America Great Again (MAGA) Inc., a top super PAC backing the former president, received a massive $50 million donation from conservative banker Timothy Mellon. Despite the massive Trump haul in recent months, Biden’s campaign reported rebounding fundraising numbers in May, a needed push after a weak showing in April. Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg also gave a max donation of $1 million to the campaign last week, adding to the $19 million the former mayor had contributed to a pro-Biden super PAC. BIDEN HAS A MASSIVE MAY FUNDRAISING HAUL, BUT COMES UP FAR SHORT OF TRUMP Biden’s campaign also raised $40 million last week after major fundraising events in Los Angeles and Northern Virginia, while another major fundraiser in Philadelphia scheduled for Monday is already sold out, Politico reported. Nevertheless, the president finds himself behind in the money race for the first time in the general election campaign, with reports filed Thursday indicating that Trump and the Republican National Committee have $116.5 million in cash compared to the $91.6 million in the bank for Biden and the Democratic National Committee. That new reality has some Democratic strategists spooked, especially with the numbers coming after the former president’s New York conviction. “What Democrats should worry about is that it’s even within distance – that the money is going on at Trump’s side at such a clip,” Hank Sheinkopf, a longtime Democratic strategist, told Politico. “You would think a guy who’s convicted of crimes would be nowhere, but he’s everywhere financially. And that is a real problem for Democrats. “The challenger shouldn’t even be close on the money side, especially a guy who’s convicted of felonies,” Sheinkopf added. “How is this possible, is what the Democrats should be asking.… That’s what they should be worried about.” The Biden and Trump campaigns did not immediately respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment.