The Democratic National Committee chairman furiously threw his phone at the desk of an aide in a fit of rage earlier this month as he deals with mounting pressure over the DNC’s financial woes, the New York Times reported.
Martin’s angry outburst prompted a complaint from the junior staffer to human resources, which met with the DNC boss to discuss his conduct.
The unsettling outburst came ahead of the high-stakes midterm elections as the remarkably cash-strapped DNC is relying on a $15 million loan, its largest-ever off-year borrowing that saw the committee put up its DC headquarters and other assets as collateral.
“This is not new. The loan documents were publicly released in November, and the DNC’s building was also used as collateral in our prior lines of credit in 2019, 2018, 2014, and many other years,” a DNC official told The Post in a statement.
The committee declined comment on Martin’s alleged outburst.
The DNC had $16.3 million cash on hand at the end of last month, well below the $18.5 million in debts and loans it has on the books according to Federal Election Commission records.
By contrast, the Republican National Committee ended June with $128.5 million cash on hand and no debt, per the FEC.
A similar trend is playing out among other officials’ campaign arms of the two parties, which could be a key factor in the midterms given the Supreme Court recently struck down rules limiting coordinated spending between the parties and campaigns.
Martin addressed the party’s bleak financial situation in a recent Substack piece as he deals with jittery Democrats.
“The current DNC has raised the most money of any DNC without the White House in the 198-year history of the Democratic Party,” Martin wrote in the piece.
“The DNC raised, from grassroots donors (under $10,000) and major gift donors (over $10,000), $154.8 million through June 2026, compared with $95.2 million over the comparable 18-month period in 2017–2018.”
Amid the DNC’s financial woes, Democrats have requested that vendors refrain from billing them until after the midterm cycle concludes.
“This is nothing more than standard negotiations with vendors over contracts and payment processes,” DNC Executive Director Roger Lau told The Post in a statement.
Martin’s leadership of the DNC has been plagued by a series of controversies. He was elected to a four-year term in February 2025 at a time when Democrats were dealing with widespread disillusionment within the party.
The mood at the time was somber after Democrats got crushed in the 2024 election. Right off the bat, Martin had to deal with controversy over former DNC Vice Chairman David Hogg actively meddling in primary contests while sitting in a leadership role within the party apparatus.
Then, back in the spring, Marin faced a firestorm over his resistance to releasing the DNC’s autopsy of the 2024 election. After he caved and agreed to release it, he faced backlash over its errors and lack of completeness.
Martin has reportedly grown paranoid and frustrated with the leaks and negative press he’s endured after the series of criticisms.
“It pisses me off when I see leaks out of this building,” Martin fumed to staffers in a May meeting after the autopsy debacle, according to the outlet. “No more of that s–t. No more.
“My success is your success,” he went on. “So the weaker I am, the weaker all of you are.”
Privately, Martin has reportedly joked about how long he will last as the DNC boss given the controversies.
Earlier this month, ahead of a meeting with House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Martin got assurances that they weren’t planning to push him out, per the report.
Martin’s term ends in 2029.
