Trump raises US$34.8 million in less than a day after guilty verdict
In texts and emails, Trump called himself a political prisoner and said his conviction marked the darkest day in US history
DONALD Trump’s campaign says it raised US$34.8 million after a Manhattan jury delivered a guilty verdict in his hush-money trial, highlighting how the first former US president convicted of a felony is using his legal woes to rally supporters.
Donors contributed that sum in less than 24 hours after the verdict was announced. Both Trump and President Joe Biden’s campaigns sent out fundraising solicitations after the jury on Thursday (May 30) found the presumptive Republican nominee guilty on all 34 counts of mishandling business records to cover up payments to an adult film actress.
The US$34.8 million fundraising haul is a massive sum for a single day. That amount is roughly half the US$76 million he raised in the entire month of April, the first time he surpassed Biden’s total.
Nearly 30 per cent of the donors were first-time contributors to the WinRed platform, the site the Republican Party uses to raise money online, according to a campaign statement.
In texts and emails, Trump called himself a political prisoner and said his conviction marked the darkest day in US history. “I DID NOTHING WRONG!” one appeal said. “JUSTICE IS DEAD IN AMERICA!” said another, adding “I was just convicted in a RIGGED TRIAL meant to interfere in our elections.” He offered donors black caps with his “Make America Great Again” slogan and the words “Never Surrender” embroidered on the side for contributions of US$47.
Following his request, WinRed displayed error messages at times on Thursday evening, with some pages Trump uses to appeal to donors telling visitors the site was under maintenance. A representative for WinRed did not respond to a request to comment.
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Some of Trump’s biggest online fundraising days have fed off his legal troubles, including raising US$15.4 million following his indictment on the hush-money charges. The Trump campaign also reported raising US$7.1 million after his arrest in Georgia over alleged efforts to overturn the 2020 election, when a widely publicised mug shot was taken at the Fulton County jail.
The US$34.8 million figure includes just online donations, which typically come from people giving a couple of hundred dollars or less. The verdict could further juice his monthly total for May. Wealthy donors, who previously had sat on the sidelines of the presidential race, have recently said they plan to support the presumptive Republican nominee. Trump is required to report his May fundraising by June 20.
He’s garnered the support of billionaire Miriam Adelson and Blackstone chief executive officer Steve Schwarzman, two of the largest Republican donors. Trump also raised US$40 million during a Texas swing, much of which came from oil and gas industry executives, including Continental Resources chairman Harold Hamm.
Trump is the first president to be indicted and convicted of a crime. The Georgia case and two federal prosecutions, one for allegedly mishandling classified documents and the other related to Trump’s role in the January 6, 2021 attack on the US Capitol, are still ongoing but likely won’t go to trial before November’s election. BLOOMBERG
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