In recent days, Ed Rendell, the former Pennsylvania governor and chairman of the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the Democratic National Convention, has said the party is "$15 to $16 million" short of its $64 million goal, according to a source who spoke with Rendell. 
 
 Reached by BuzzFeed News, he said the figure is actually more like $9.5 million. 
 
 "Including pledges from companies I know are going to write the check, we're $9 to $10 million down," Rendell said. "It's a legitimate gap but we're touching every base to fill it." 
 
 The former Democratic National Committee chairman said context is necessary; in 2012, the federal government chipped in $18 million. The city of Philadelphia is not giving any money, which he said would have been up to $7.75 million. 
 
 
 
 "So we're down $25.75 million," he said. "It's been a heavy lift." 
 
 
 
 Rendell also said there is one more person to blame: Donald Trump, whose polarizing ascension has made corporations skittish about giving to the RNC; corporations often give to both party conventions evenly, so if companies reduce RNC contributions, they're likely to reduce DNC contributions, as well. 
 
 "So we’ve had three blows," he joked. "The fed, the city, and the Trumpster." 
 
 Rendell said he was confident Democrats would have the full $64 million by July 25. In 2012, the Charlotte convention ended up $25 million short, a bill that was footed mostly by the DNC. "We're determined to not let that happen," he added. 
 
 (One difference between this time and last time, however, is that Democrats have lifted the ban on lobbyist and political action committee donations to conventions — an Obama-era change that made fundraising for the event more difficult.) 
 
 Rendell, a Hillary Clinton supporter, also shared his concern that Bernie Sanders supporters could cause problems at the convention — not outside, where their protests wouldn't be escalated in clashes with counter-Clinton supporters, who he said won't engage them, but inside where Sanders delegates have no affinity or allegiance to the Democratic Party. 
 
 Clinton delegates, he argued, are mostly former 2004 John Kerry delegates, 2008 Clinton delegates, and 2012 Obama delegates. 
 
 "They have a stake in the party," he said, but "95% of the Bernie delegates don’t give a shit about the Democratic Party or somebody other than Bernie winning the presidency. They could be disruptive in the convention hall — that would be a terrible outcome." 
 
 

 The Democratic Party is millions of dollars short of the money it needs to host the Democratic National Convention in July, A key Democrat told Buzzfeed on Friday. 
 
 Ed Rendell, a former Pennsylvania governor and chairman of the Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee for the DNC, told Buzzfeed the party is $9.5 million short of its $64 million goal. 
 
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 Another source told Buzzfeed the deficit is closer to $16 million. 
 
 "It's a legitimate gap, but we're touching every base to fill it," Rendell said. 
 
 Rendell cited not receiving money from the city of Philadelphia or the federal government as reasons for the gap. 
 
 "It's been a heavy lift," he said. 
 
 Rendell also blamed presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump Donald TrumpTrump touts Navy expansion proposal in Pa. More women are voting early in key battlegrounds: report Matt Schlapp: 5 post-debate reasons Trump is still in it MORE, whom he said has made companies wary of donating to the Republican National Committee. Companies that donate to the conventions often give to both the Republicans and Democrats to keep from being seen as biased. 
 
 In 2012, the Democratic convention in Charlotte, N.C., fell about $25 million short, which the DNC had to make up. 
 
 "We're determined to not let that happen," Rendell said.
– Have you got an extra $10 million lying around that you'd like to spend on the Democratic National Convention? Neither does anybody else at the moment, which means the convention is facing a major funding gap, according Philadelphia 2016 Host Committee chief Ed Rendell. The former Pennsylvania governor says the July convention hasn't received any money from the city of Philadelphia or the federal government, the Hill reports. He tells BuzzFeed—where sources estimate the shortfall is closer to $16 million—that the rise of Donald Trump is another reason for the lack of funds, because companies that usually donate to both conventions are shunning the GOP convention because of Trump, and they don't want to appear biased by only donating to the DNC. "We’ve had three blows," Rendell quips. "The fed, the city, and the Trumpster." He says it's a "heavy lift," but he is confident that all $64 million needed to hold the convention will be raised by the end of July. Rendell, a Clinton loyalist, says he worries that Sanders delegates could cause problems inside the convention. Clinton delegates have a "stake in the party," he says, but "95% of the Bernie delegates don’t give a shit about the Democratic Party or somebody other than Bernie winning the presidency. They could be disruptive in the convention hall—that would be a terrible outcome." (Some Democrats want to get rid of DNC chief Debbie Wasserman Schultz, whom they consider too "toxic" to unify the party.)