Donald Trump’s campaign announced on Friday that it had amassed nearly $53 million in online small-dollar donations following his conviction in his New York hush money trial, boasting that the verdict had ignited his support “like never before.”
The campaign described the record fundraising as a staggering achievement, equivalent to over $2 million raised per hour.
Senior campaign aides Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles lauded the outpouring of support, revealing that more than a third of the total amount came from new donors to the campaign.
In statements, LaCivita and Wiles characterized the Thursday court decision as a “sham trial verdict” and emphasized that despite temporary online delays due to overwhelming traffic from small-dollar donors, the campaign’s digital fundraising system had been inundated with support.
The campaign’s total fundraising for the day reached an impressive $52.8 million by Friday evening.
A jury convicted Trump on all 34 charges of falsifying business records to conceal a sex scandal during the final stages of the 2016 presidential campaign.
Prosecutors alleged that Trump had engaged in an affair with porn actress Stormy Daniels in 2006 and later paid hush money to conceal the liaison, before fabricating false paperwork to cover up the payment.
While Trump is scheduled for sentencing on July 11 and is expected to appeal the verdict, his campaign wasted no time in rallying his supporters against what they deemed as a politically motivated attack.
LaCivita and Wiles accused President Joe Biden and the Democrats of orchestrating a “witch hunt” to undermine Trump’s influence.
President Biden, however, has refrained from commenting on the trial, and there is no evidence of his or his administration’s involvement in the investigation, which was conducted by New York state authorities, not the federal government.
Trump has historically capitalized on scandals, often portraying himself as a victim of a biased establishment.
Shortly after his conviction, his campaign website redirected visitors to a fundraising page labeling him a “political prisoner.”
However, the surge of Trump supporters overwhelmed the platform, causing it to crash temporarily.
In a characteristic move, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, on Friday, likening his situation to a “WITCH HUNT” and warning that if it could happen to him, it could happen to anyone.
