Just Politics

U.S. election: Trump campaign raises $53m after guilty verdict

Former United States President Donald Trump’s campaign has raised about $53 million in online small-dollar donations after he was convicted in his New York hush money trial.

The campaign, on Friday, said the record haul was equivalent to more than $2 million raised per hour.

Senior campaign aides Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in statements that more than a third of the total came from new donors to the campaign and hailed an “outpouring of support from patriots across our country”.

Calling the Thursday court decision a “sham trial verdict”, the advisors reported that the “digital fundraising system was overwhelmed with support” despite temporary online delays “because of the amount of traffic” from small-dollar donors.

As of Friday evening, the day’s total had climbed to a whopping $52.8 million.

A jury convicted Trump Thursday on all 34 charges of falsifying business records to cover up a sex scandal in the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign.

Hush money: Trump convicted on 34 felony charges

Prosecutors said Trump had sex with porn actress Stormy Daniels soon after his wife Melania had given birth in 2006, and then paid hush money a decade later to avoid the fallout and deceive voters, before creating false paperwork to conceal the payment.

He is due for sentencing on July 11 but the former president is expected to appeal the verdict.

“Crooked Joe Biden and the Democrats with their election interference political witch hunt have awakened the MAGA movement like never before,” LaCivita and Wiles said.

President Joe Biden has been at pains to avoid commenting on the trial and there is no evidence that he or his administration had any involvement in the investigation, which was launched by New York, not the federal government.

Trump has a long record of turning scandal to his advantage, and his campaign website began redirecting visitors to a fundraising page declaring he was a “political prisoner” moments after he was convicted, according to AFP.

The page crashed for around an hour within minutes of launching, however, as the surge of Trump supporters overwhelmed WinRed, the official Republican Party donation platform.

Trump regularly characterizes his legal woes as a battle against the evil forces of the “deep state” and Biden’s White House, casting himself as a martyr willing to sacrifice his liberty to stand up for his supporters.

In April, he compared himself to South African anti-apartheid icon Nelson Mandela for the second time, and he has also likened himself to Jesus Christ.

“Witch hunt! If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone!” Trump posted on his platform Truth Social on Friday.

The Star

Segun Ojo

Recent Posts

Watkins nets brace as Aston Villa whip Chelsea at Stamford Bridge

Ollie Watkins came off the bench to maintain Aston Villa's unexpected Premier League title challenge…

3 hours ago

Wike commends Rivers Assembly members for supporting Tinubu

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, on Saturday praised members of the…

3 hours ago

NNPP, families agree on replacing late Kano Assembly members Kano assembly

The New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in Kano State says it has reached a mutual…

4 hours ago

Wike: Our support for Tinubu will continue, just as when it was difficult

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has restated his commitment to President…

5 hours ago

US resumes surveillance flights over North-East Nigeria after Sokoto strikes

The United States has restarted intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) flights over North-East Nigeria after…

6 hours ago

Troops neutralise 438 terrorists in seven months — Army

The Joint Task Force North East, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), has recorded major progress against…

6 hours ago

This website uses cookies.