Donald Trump’s campaign announced on Friday, May 31, 2024 that it had raised $35 million in online small-dollar donations following his conviction in the New York hush money trial, asserting that the verdict had bolstered his support significantly.
“The record-shattering figure amounted to almost double the next best fundraising day for the campaign on WinRed, the official Republican Party donation platform,” stated senior campaign aides Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles in a press release.
“Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats with their election interference political witch hunt have awakened the MAGA movement like never before,” they declared. “Just minutes after the sham trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support, and despite temporary delays online because of the amount of traffic, President Trump raised $34.8 million dollars from small-dollar donors.”
The advisors noted that 30 percent of the donations came from new donors to the platform, highlighting an “outpouring of support from patriots across our country.”
A jury convicted Trump on Thursday on all 34 charges of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign. Prosecutors argued that Trump had an affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels shortly after his wife Melania gave birth in 2006 and later paid hush money to avoid the scandal during the campaign, subsequently creating false documentation to hide the payment.
Despite the conviction, Trump is set for sentencing on July 11 but is expected to appeal the verdict.
Trump’s campaign website quickly capitalized on the conviction, redirecting visitors to a fundraising page that labeled him a “political prisoner.” The page experienced a temporary crash due to the surge in traffic from Trump supporters.
Biden has refrained from commenting on the trial, and there is no evidence that he or his administration had any involvement in the investigation, which was initiated by New York State authorities, not the federal government.
Trump frequently portrays his legal troubles as a struggle against the “deep state” and Biden’s administration, presenting himself as a martyr fighting for his supporters. “WITCH HUNT! IF THIS CAN HAPPEN TO ME, IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE!” Trump posted on his platform Truth Social on Friday.
In his statements, Trump has drawn parallels between himself and historical figures such as Nelson Mandela and Jesus Christ, reinforcing his narrative of being a victim of political persecution.
