Biden builds early advertising edge as Trump spends millions on legal fees

CNN —

Joe Biden holds a big edge on the airwaves over Donald Trump in the opening weeks of their general election matchup. The president and his allies nearly tripled his rival’s network in ad spending over the past month and a half while Trump has had to devote millions of campaign funds to legal expenses.

From March 6 – the day after Super Tuesday when Trump effectively secured the 2024 GOP presidential nomination – through Sunday, Biden’s campaign and other Democratic advertisers spent $27.2 million on advertising for the presidential race, while the Trump campaign and GOP advertisers spent about $9.3 million, according to AdImpact data.

The Biden campaign’s ad spending has included millions in key battleground states such as Michigan ($4.1 million), Pennsylvania ($3.9 million), Arizona ($2.5 million), Wisconsin ($2.2 million) and Georgia ($2.2 million). The Biden network has used its plentiful airtime to promote the administration’s first-term record and to slam Trump, focusing on key issues such as the cost of living and abortion rights.

For example, Biden’s campaign has spent over half a million dollars in just the past 10 days airing a new ad in Arizona, seizing on the high-profile fight over abortion rights there. “Because of Donald Trump, millions of women lost the fundamental freedom to control their own bodies. And now women’s lives are in danger because of that. The question is, if Donald Trump gets back in power, what freedom will you lose next?,” the ad says.

Meanwhile, a pro-Trump super PAC, MAGA Inc., recently ramped up its advertising, booking over $1 million worth of airtime in Pennsylvania to coincide with Biden’s recent campaign swing through the state last week.

“Biden’s open border puts