President Biden’s re-election campaign had $71 million in late February, more than double the $33.5 million in former President Donald J. Trump’s campaign account; as Democrats continued to extend their fundraising advantage over Republicans in the presidential race.
The cash disparity was detailed in filings with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, when campaigns and some presidential committees were due to file fundraising and spending reports for February.
Mr. Trump paid his campaign bill in February, adding more than $3 million to cash since January, when he ended the month with about $30 million on hand. But Mr. Biden’s campaign, which ended January with $56 million, added $15 million in February.
While Mr. Trump leads Mr. Biden in most national polls, Mr. Biden and the Democratic Party have a growing cash advantage — a gap that has become one of the most pressing issues facing Mr. Trump, who has been busy attracting some of the Republican Party’s biggest donors to private dinners at Mar-a-Lago, his club and residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
But the financial picture remains sketchy: Both Mr. Trump and Mr. Biden are raising money through joint fundraising committees, which won’t report until mid-April. These committees funnel funds to the campaigns, which are in a better position to pay salaries and buy advertising time at the lowest rates guaranteed to candidates.
Over the weekend, Mr. Biden’s team reported raising a total of $53 million in February across all committees supporting his re-election bid, totaling $155 million, up from $130 million in late January. The April reports will provide more details on how this money was raised and by whom.
Mr. Biden, as an incumbent, has been raising money for months alongside the Democratic National Committee — a massive enterprise building the groundwork needed in the general election.
Mr. Biden will also be supported by more than $1 billion pledged by outside groups to support his bid — money that is separate from the party accounts filed Wednesday.
Mr. Trump’s campaign told Fox News on Wednesday that it had raised a total of $20.3 million with a joint fundraising committee, with $42 million on hand between the two groups.
Some of Mr. Biden’s strengths are those of a traditional establishment. Mr. Trump only became the presumptive Republican nominee in February and immediately proceeded to blow up the Republican National Committee and fill it with loyalists. The committee itself reported raising $10.7 million in February and ended the month with $11.3 million on hand.
Mr. Trump’s legal battles have also been a drain on his overall campaign funds. He faces four criminal charges along with civil cases, which are proving costly. Last year, committees that backed him spent at least $50 million on legal fees, filings show, and those costs are likely to rise as he prepares for possible trials this year.
A super PAC supporting Mr. Trump, Make America Great Again Inc., reported raising $12.8 million in February, with $25.5 million on hand, up from $19.7 million in late January.
A report filed Wednesday for one of Mr. Trump’s committees — a leadership PAC called Save America, which he has used to pay his legal bills — reported $4 million on hand at the end of February, up from $6 million in January.
That change appears to be attributed to a rise in Mr. Trump’s legal fees. The team spent nearly $5.6 million in February on bills to legal teams defending him.
