Biden camp touts $172m raised in June amid debate angst

US leader's aides point to campaign's best fund-raising month yet to reassure donors

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WASHINGTON-US President Joe Biden's campaign said it raised US$127 million (S$172 million) in June, offering a lifeline to the Democratic incumbent as he faces pressure to step aside following a harrowing debate performance.

The haul, which represented the Biden campaign's best fund-raising month of the election cycle, included US$38 million raised in the four days starting on June 27, the day of the presidential debate - the first between Mr Biden and presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump this cycle.

Biden aides have pointed to their ability to rake in cash despite his performance as evidence that the President retained his party's support and had not irrevocably damaged his campaign. The President himself attended a series of highdollar fund-raisers across the New York area over the weekend, where he pledged to donors that he would work harder and signalled his intention to remain in the race.

"This election will be close and the stakes couldn't be higher which is why today's fund-raising haul matters so much," campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement.