He had already used his tribulations in court to raise funds and he did it again: former US President Donald Trump, a marketing ace, used his guilty verdict to fuel a new donation campaign to finance his re-election to the highest office in the nation.
On Thursday, a jury pronounced the word “guilty” 34 times at the end of Donald Trump’s trial for falsifying commercial documents. This scheme aimed to conceal a bribe used to buy the silence of a former adult film actress. Donald Trump then feared that his possible revelations – of a sexual nature – would hinder his election in 2016.
In the minutes following the verdict, emails asking for funding poured in, as well as messages for this purpose published on Donald Trump’s social network, Truth Social. In a text message, he even invites his supporters to purchase an all-black cap (DARK MAGA) also emblazoned with the words “Never give up” for the modest sum of US$40.
On his campaign website, where he declares that he is “a political prisoner”, although he is not in prison, he bluntly asks his supporters to donate money: “I enjoin 10 MILLION patriots pro-Trump to contribute and say by the end of the day: “I SUPPORT PRESIDENT TRUMP!” My fundraising deadline for the month is IN A FEW HOURS! »
Because the “real verdict” will be on November 5, and it will be delivered by “THE PEOPLE”, he chants on all platforms.
Then, on Friday morning, Trump’s campaign team announced that it had broken a fundraising record after “the verdict in Biden’s rigged trial.” According to figures provided by the team — not independently verified — the harvest was $34.8 million. Nearly 30% of donors opened their wallets for the first time to support the Trump campaign on the online platform, officials said. Several American media outlets also reported that the online donation site was no longer functional for a certain time on Thursday due to traffic.
Trump has used his legal woes on more than one occasion to fill his electoral coffers. Shortly after his arrest, on August 24, 2023, as part of another criminal case, the ex-president used the police photo to collect donations, then used it to adorn promotional merchandise such as t-shirts, wrapping paper and coffee mugs.
The day he pleaded not guilty before a Manhattan judge in the Stormy Daniels case, he raised US$4 million in donations, US media reported Politico. And a few days after being ordered in civil court to pay fines of more than 355 million for a case of commercial fraud, he launched a range of gold-colored espadrilles at US$400 a pair — long out of stock.
Since Thursday afternoon, several supporters and several major Republican donors have publicly shown their financial support for the man who is now a convicted felon. This is the case of Shaun Maguire, partner at Sequoia Capital, who proudly announced having contributed $300,000 to Donald Trump’s campaign. Others, like Kari Lake, who received Trump’s seal of approval for Senate in Arizona, and South Carolina Republican Sen. Tim Scott, relayed the campaign team’s call for donations on the social network
Stephen Miller, who served as one of Trump’s top White House advisers, appealed to the Grand Old Party’s biggest donors: “Give a lot. Donate now. »
The Democratic camp was not left out: it also took the opportunity on Thursday, and again on Friday, in particular by publishing messages on verdict.
“Donald Trump threatens our democracy. To begin with, he called into question our electoral system. Then, he called into question our judicial system. And now you can stop it,” wrote current US President Joe Biden on his personal X account. The day before, his call for donations indicated the way to keep Donald Trump away from the Oval Office: through the ballot box.
Donald Trump is threatening our democracy. First, he questioned our election system. Then, he questioned our judicial system.
And now, you can stop him:https://t.co/ekIEq70PUl— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) May 31, 2024
This most recent influx of funds into Trump’s presidential campaign could give momentum to the Republican candidate’s fundraising efforts. Until now, he was trailing behind the Democratic camp: the latter amassed more than 180 million US dollars in the current electoral cycle (from 1er January 2023 to April 30, 2024), compared to 125 million for Trump – this sum does not, however, include the cash on hand from the day of the guilty verdict.
On another financial subject, the value of the shares of the company Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) fell by around 9% to 14%, according to specialized media, after the announcement of the guilty verdict, but regained strength after the opening of Wall Street on Friday morning. Volatile, these stocks have since returned to positive territory.
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