Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign received a huge boost following his felony conviction on Thursday, as donors piled $52.8 million into their coffers in the 24 hours after the verdict.
The Trump campaign immediately put out a fundraising appeal after the verdict, and Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s celebratory press conference, featuring a photo of the 77-year-old along with his statement: “I’m a political prisoner!”.
According to the campaign, the avalanche of donations crashed the website.
“Just minutes after the bogus trial verdict was announced, our digital fundraising system was overwhelmed,” the campaign stated.
The ‘Team Trump’ campaign account officially announced that its site was down Wednesday night.
Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign took a shot in the checkbook following his felony conviction Thursday, as donors piled $52.8 million into their coffers in the 24 hours after the verdict.
“The American people wake up to the rigged show trial of corrupt Joe Biden,” they wrote.
“So many Americans were motivated to donate to President Trump’s campaign that WinRed’s pages went down.”
A campaign spokesperson said in a statement: “Our fundraising link is receiving so much traffic that it is experiencing intermittent delays.” “This outpouring is massive and reflects what we have said all along: the American people see this travesty for what it is and are ready to support President Trump in his fight to save our nation.”
The site returned to normal shortly after.
Piers Morgan said the small cash donations suggested there could be a boost for the former president.
“Trump’s donation websites are crashing… I guess this verdict will propel him back to the White House,” he wrote on X.
Several major Republican donors have said they would continue donating to Trump’s campaign despite the conviction.
“I haven’t heard anyone give a shit,” New York businessman and Republican donor Andy Sabin told CNBC.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg reacts during a press conference held after former US President Donald Trump was found guilty of all 34 counts in his criminal trial.
“We don’t care about that at all,” added another longtime GOP donor. ‘A year ago, maybe (the trials mattered). Now none.
Although the verdict does not prevent Trump from continuing his election campaign, it does throw the already tense race into even more unpredictable waters.
However, those cases are not likely to go to trial before the November elections.
In addition to the New York case, Trump faces three much more serious criminal charges for his attempts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden and the hoarding of top-secret documents at his Florida home.
So far, Biden has been cautious about turning Trump’s multiple legal difficulties into an election issue. As president, he wants to avoid giving ammunition to Republicans who claim he is meddling in the justice system.
Trump emerged from the courtroom visibly shaken after the jury found him guilty of all 34 counts of falsifying business records.
“This was a rigged and shameful trial,” he lamented to eagerly awaiting film crews and press.
The former president stated that the ‘true verdict will be on November 5 by the people.’
“Everyone knows what happened here…this is a Soros-backed DA.”
‘We didn’t do anything wrong. I am a very innocent man.
‘Okay, I’m fighting for our country, I’m fighting for our Constitution. “This was done by the Biden administration to hurt a political opponent.”
‘I think it’s just a shame. And we will keep fighting and fighting until the end and we will win because our country has gone to hell.’
Prosecutors had to reach a high bar to convince a 12-person New York jury that Trump conspired to help his 2016 election campaign by paying porn star Stormy Daniels $130,000 to keep quiet about their alleged sexual encounters. .
Daniels alleged that she and Trump had sex a decade earlier, which he has denied.
The case featured explosive evidence from Daniels and exposed the “catch-and-kill” practices of the National Enquirer tabloid, which bought stories that could be damaging to Trump and suppressed them.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg assembled all the evidence and witness testimony that they claimed was enough to charge Trump with 34 felony counts of “falsifying business records.”
Trump’s team attempted to lay out a strong defense of the former president, distancing him from Cohen’s payments to Daniels.
They also reiterated several of their strongest points, that hush money payments are not illegal and that Trump only wanted to avoid his family’s humiliation over Daniels’ alleged claims.
This is the first time that a former president of the United States faces a criminal trial.
Trump is the presumptive Republican presidential candidate and will face Joe Biden in the November election.
It means the verdict could upend the race for the White House in 2024 and constitute a pivotal moment in American history.
Each of the charges Trump faces carries a potential maximum sentence of up to four years in prison.