Former President Donald Trump’s campaign recently announced a significant surge in fundraising following his guilty verdict in the first trial of a former or current president in US history. The campaign reported raising $34.8 million in a six-hour period after the verdict, and nearly $53 million in the following 24 hours through their online digital fundraising platform. This fundraising was described as “record shattering” by Trump’s team, who emphasized that the guilty verdicts have energized the MAGA movement.
The increase in contributions comes as Trump seeks to narrow the fundraising gap with President Biden in anticipation of a potential 2024 election rematch. Trump’s campaign advisers highlighted that a considerable portion of the donors during this fundraising period were new to the WinRed platform. The advisers also reiterated that Trump is fighting to “save our nation,” hinting at a potential return to the presidential race in the upcoming election.
Following the guilty verdict, Trump’s team immediately launched a fundraising appeal directed at supporters. The email solicitation sought to portray Trump as a victim of a “rigged political Witch Hunt trial,” urging donors to contribute before the end-of-the-month fundraising deadline. The WinRed platform experienced temporary difficulties due to the high volume of traffic, prompting senior adviser Chris LaCivita to advise donors to try again or sign up for Trump’s text messaging list to ensure their contributions were processed.
In response to the guilty verdict, the Biden campaign wasted no time in sending out its own fundraising appeals to supporters, warning that the only way to prevent Trump from returning to the Oval Office is through the ballot box. Despite Trump’s efforts to boost fundraising, the Biden campaign still held a substantial cash-on-hand advantage at the end of April. This fundraising competition underscores the significance of financial resources in potential 2024 election dynamics between the two candidates.
As the fundraising competition intensifies, Trump’s campaign is making strategic moves to safeguard its donor base. The campaign directed donors to Anedot, another online fundraising platform, to prevent contributions from being siphoned to other campaigns. Additionally, the campaign issued warnings to down-ballot Republican campaigns not to capitalize on Trump’s conviction for their own fundraising efforts. The former president’s top pollsters also released a memo in anticipation of the verdict, asserting that a conviction would not have significant electoral consequences.
Looking ahead, Trump is scheduled to host high-profile fundraisers in California, signaling his commitment to raising substantial financial resources for a potential 2024 election bid. The fierce competition between Trump and Biden in fundraising underscores the critical role that money plays in modern political campaigns. Both candidates are actively engaging their supporters and cultivating their donor bases as they prepare for a potential rematch in the upcoming election cycle.
