Donald Trump's campaign has announced a staggering $34.8 million fundraising windfall following his conviction on 34 felony counts in a New York criminal trial, signaling a surge in support and potential electoral momentum for his 2024 run.
Former President Donald Trump has seen a record-shattering surge in fundraising following his conviction in the first trial of a former or current president in American history. The Trump campaign announced a haul of $34.8 million in just a few hours after the guilty verdicts were announced on Thursday night.
Trump's team capitalized on the verdict by sending out an urgent fundraising appeal to supporters, labeling him a "political prisoner" and emphasizing the "RIGGED" nature of the trial. The plea tapped into the emotions of his base and resulted in an overwhelming response.
Within an hour of the verdict, the GOP online fundraising platform WinRed briefly shut down due to high traffic. Trump's senior campaign advisers, Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, highlighted that 29.7% of donors on Thursday were new to the WinRed platform, indicating a significant expansion of support.
Trump's fundraising has been lagging behind President Biden, but this latest influx of funds has narrowed the gap. In April, Trump's campaign and the Republican National Committee surpassed Biden's fundraising for the first time, but Biden still held an $84 million to $49 million cash-on-hand advantage at the end of the month.
LaCivita and Wiles emphasized that the guilty verdicts have "awakened the MAGA movement like never before," suggesting that the conviction may actually galvanize Trump's base and boost his chances of reelection in 2024.
Trump has repeatedly claimed that the trial was politically motivated and that he was the victim of a "witch hunt." His supporters have rallied around him during the trial, and the verdicts seem to have strengthened their resolve.
Meanwhile, Trump's campaign is warning down-ballot Republican campaigns not to try to capitalize on his conviction by fundraising directly off it, in order to prevent a "siphoning" of donations away from Trump's coffers.
Biden's reelection campaign has also been quick to seize upon the verdicts, sending out fundraising appeals to its supporters urging them to donate to help keep Trump out of office.
The fundraising surge following the guilty verdicts is a sign of Trump's enduring popularity among his base and of the potential impact that the trial could have on the 2024 presidential race. It remains to be seen whether the conviction will ultimately damage Trump's chances of reelection or whether it will instead solidify his support and propel him to victory.
