Biden campaign gets a bit of good news as it announces it hauled in $127 million in June

Washington CNN —

The Biden campaign hauled in $127 million in the month of June, a strong showing after some signs that its fundraising was slowing – and a bright spot for the campaign after days of trying to beat back concerns about President Joe Biden’s age and viability after his debate performance.

June marked “the campaign’s best month of the cycle,” according to a news release, which noted that the campaign now has “$240 million cash on hand – up from $212 million last month.”

In the days following the debate and amid intense criticism about Biden’s faltering performance – along with questions about his continued political viability – Biden’s campaign repeatedly pointed to good fundraising numbers as a signal of its grassroots strength. The argument is aimed at pushing back on those suggesting the president could lose support in the fallout from his performance.

Jen O’Malley Dillon, campaign chair for Biden, told members of the campaign’s National Finance Committee on Monday that the team is “clear-eyed, not pollyannish,” two participants on the call told CNN, but offered no indication Biden was reconsidering his bid for a second term.

A virtual meeting with about 500 donors, whose pictures spread across 21 pages of Zoom screens, was called in hopes of easing the tensions and answering questions top Democrats have been raising in response to Biden’s dismal debate night. O’Malley Dillon suggested Biden’s health was strong, the two sources said. She pointed to the president’s health report released by his doctors earlier this year, with his doctor declaring him fit to serve.

“He’s probably in better health than most of us,” O’Malley Dillon said, according to the participants, one of whom said it was