Photo: Spencer Platt Getty Images via Agence France-Presse Donald Trump made a statement to the media on Friday from Trump Tower in New York.
Stephanie Marin
Published at 1:30 p.m. Updated at 7:35 p.m.
- United States
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 nation's highest office.
On Thursday, a jury uttered the word “guilty” 34 times at the end of Donald Trump's trial for falsifying documents commercial. 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.
PRESS CONFERENCE
TEXT TRUMP TO 88022 https://t.co/hG3zJ6himT
— Team Trump (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TeamTrump) May 31, 2024
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: “J 'call on 10 MILLION pro-Trump patriots 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.< /p>
Then, on Friday morning, Trump's campaign team announced that it had shattered a fundraising record after “Biden's rigged trial verdict.” According to figures provided by the team — not independently verified — the haul was $34.8 million. Nearly 30% of donors were opening their wallets for the first time to support the Trump campaign on the online platform, officials said. Several American media reported that the online donation site was no longer functional for a certain time on Thursday due to traffic.
Trump has used his legal setbacks 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 like t-shirts, wrapping paper and coffee mugs.
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
The day he pleaded not guilty before a Manhattan judge in the Stormy Daniels case, he collected US$4 million in donations, the American media reported Politico. And days after being ordered to pay civil fines of more than $355 million in a commercial fraud case, he launched a line of gold-colored sneakers for US$400 a pair — long out of stock.
Since Thursday afternoon, several supporters and several major Republican donors have publicly displayed 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 that he had 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 X.
Stephen Miller, who served as a top Trump White House adviser, appealed to the Grand Old Party’s biggest donors: “Give big. Give now.”
The Democratic camp was not far behind: it also seized the opportunity on Thursday, and again on Friday, notably by publishing messages on X that linked to a Joe Biden campaign funding site, but without directly mentioning the verdict.
“Donald Trump is a threat to our democracy. First, he challenged our electoral system. Then, he challenged our judicial system. And now, you can stop him,” wrote current US President Joe Biden on his personal X account. The day before, his appeal for donations indicated the way to keep Donald Trump out of 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 latest influx of funds into Trump's presidential campaign could give the Republican candidate's fundraising efforts a boost. Until now, he has been lagging behind the Democratic camp: the latter has amassed more than 180 million US dollars in the current electoral cycle (from January 1, 2023 to April 30, 2024), compared to 125 million for Trump – this sum does not, however, include the cash on the day of the guilty verdict.
On another financial subject, the value of the shares of the company Trump Media & Technology Group (DJT) fell in the range of 9% to 14%, according to specialized media, after the announcement of the guilty verdict, but regained strength after Wall Street opened Friday morning. Volatile, these stocks have since returned to positive territory.