Former President Donald Trump raked in record cash after he became a convicted felon, a sign of how his legal troubles resonate with his most loyal followers.
Trump’s campaign said they raised $34.8 million online from small donors. The campaign added that it was the best day ever on the WinRed platform, referencing the digital payments processor that most Republicans use. Due to federal campaign finance deadlines, the campaign’s claims could not be immediately verified. Trump’s campaign did not define what small donors mean, but it typically refers to Americans who donate $200 or less.
It’s not a surprise that the day provided a major boost to Trump’s fundraising. His campaign has embraced his outlaw image, even selling merchandise with his mugshot emblazoned. A Politico analysis previously found that Trump’s legal struggles coincided with the biggest fundraising days of his campaign.
Trump’s team struggled to keep up with the demand. There were multiple reports that Trump’s main site crashed or struggled to fully load in the minutes after a Manhattan jury announced it had found him guilty on all 34 felony counts related to a scheme to falsify business records to cover up a hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
The former president desperately needs the cash. Last month, Trump and Republicans outraised President Joe Biden and Democrats. But Biden and his allies still held a $58 million cash-on-hand advantage. Biden has benefited from facing little serious primary opposition. Trump had a much more competitive primary. The former president has also raided his political fundraising network to pay his legal fees.
Biden’s campaign seemed to gird itself against the possibility that the verdict would boost Trump’s fundraising. The president’s campaign sent its appeals out after the verdict. One of its messages made clear Trump could set records.
“[T]here is one other certainty — as you read this, Donald Trump’s supporters are fired up and likely to set fundraising records for his campaign,” a Biden campaign fundraising text read.
It wasn’t just Trump. Senate Republicans’ campaign arm said it had its biggest fundraising day of the cycle, raising $360,000 online. Republicans hope a more favorable map will help them retake the Senate majority.
It’s not just about fundraising.
There could be political peril for Trump in the verdict. It’s too soon to have any definitive take on what it means for Trump to be the first former president to be convicted of a felony. As longtime Republican strategist Karl Rove noted, even a small shift among the electorate in swing states could doom Trump.
“If he is found guilty, let’s not underestimate that there is a problem,” Rove said on Fox News before the verdict was in.
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