Former President Donald Trump is back on the campaign trail following his guilty verdict in the New York criminal trial against him, vowing to fight against the conviction and capitalize on the momentum it has generated.
Undeterred by the recent guilty verdict in his New York criminal trial, former President Donald Trump has wasted no time in resuming his presidential campaign activities. Hours after the verdict was announced, Trump headlined a campaign fundraiser and vowed to continue fighting. He is scheduled to attend a UFC match in Newark, New Jersey, on Saturday and will sit for a "Fox and Friends" interview on Sunday.
"We'll be fighting hard," Trump declared in an interview with Fox News' Brooke Singman shortly after his conviction on 34 felony counts related to falsifying business records. Emphasizing his enthusiasm for returning to the campaign trail, Trump said, "I'm excited to get back to the campaign trail."
Since the start of the trial six weeks ago, Trump had been limited in his ability to campaign extensively due to the courtroom proceedings. However, his campaign boasted that even during this time, he managed to generate "billions of dollars" in media coverage and hold rallies and fundraisers.
The guilty verdict does not appear to have diminished Trump's favorability in the polls. According to his top pollsters, a conviction will not have any electoral consequences. Trump's campaign echoed this sentiment, stating that "we are already back to the mission" of saving the nation.
Meanwhile, Republican strategist David Carney expressed confidence that Trump's "show trial" is over and that he is now "unleashed to campaign at will again." He predicted that "with the miscarriage of justice out in the open, he will have the wind to his back."
Trump's campaign also experienced an immediate boost in fundraising following the verdict. On Friday morning, the campaign announced it had raised $34.8 million within a few hours of the verdict becoming public. By Friday evening, that total had increased to nearly $53 million over 24 hours.
The campaign described the fundraising haul as "a record-shattering small dollar fundraising haul" and attributed it to the guilty verdicts "awakening the MAGA movement like never before." Trump will continue his fundraising blitz with events in California next week, including a dinner hosted by prominent tech investors in San Francisco and two fundraisers in the southern part of the state.
Despite the trial and guilty verdict, Trump's campaign remains optimistic about his chances in the 2024 presidential election. They believe that the verdict has galvanized his base and given him a fresh narrative to energize voters. The former president's resilience and unwavering resolve suggest that he will not let this legal setback hinder his pursuit of the presidency once again.
