Maggie Haberman Says Democrats Lack ‘Great Message Against Trump’ Amid Massive Fundraising Deficit

Maggie Haberman

New York Times journalist Maggie Haberman warned that Democrats are struggling to compete with President Donald Trump’s massive fundraising operation in part because the party still lacks a compelling pitch against him beyond simply saying “we’re not Trump.”

Haberman made the assessment on Wednesday’s episode of The Daily, as The Times’ political team examined the state of the midterm elections run-up, 48 days out, and a striking disconnect between Democrats’ improving political prospects and their financial position.

Asked by host Michael Barbaro why Republicans continue to enjoy such a significant financial advantage, Haberman pointed first to lingering anger among Democratic donors over the end of former President Joe Biden’s term.

“Democrats have been struggling with fundraising for quite some time,” Haberman said. “I don’t think that they have ever totally recovered from the very end of the Biden term, where a lot of donors were just really, really angry.”

“People don’t like being told for two years that all is well. And then it very visibly, through the magic of sight, was not and then switching out the candidate,” she added.

But the problem extends beyond disgruntled Democratic donors, Haberman argued, revealing that wealthy business figures who traditionally gave across party lines have become increasingly reluctant to antagonize the Trump White House because their companies have dealings with the federal government.

She cited billionaires Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg as examples of figures Democrats had previously been able to rely on.

Trump, meanwhile, never stopped raising money, allowing Republicans to build up funds, she pointed out.

“So all of that has added to a massive war chest that Trump just never took his foot off the gas on. He started fundraising — I shouldn’t say started. He kept fundraising literally the day after the election,” Haberman said. “And there is so much money sloshing around the system that it becomes its own virtuous cycle, ‘virtuous,’ being in quotes. But that really is the main reason why.”

“And Democrats don’t really have a great message against Trump other than —” Haberman said, before Barbaro clarified that she meant a fundraising message.

“Right,” she replied. “Other than we’re not Trump.”

Listen above via Spotify.

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