Former President Donald Trump Raises Over $7 Million Amid Legal Troubles
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign has reported raising a staggering $7.1 million since his recent booking at the Fulton County Jail in Georgia. Trump faces charges of illegally scheming to overturn the 2020 election in the state, making him the first former president in U.S. history to have a mug shot taken.
The campaign’s spokesman, Steven Cheung, stated that Friday alone brought in a record-breaking $4.18 million, marking the highest-grossing day for the campaign thus far.
Despite spending tens of millions on his legal defense, Trump’s mounting legal challenges have not affected his standing in the Republican presidential primary. He consistently leads his rivals by 30 to 50 points in polls.
While Trump described his jail experience and mug shot as unpleasant, his campaign quickly capitalized on the incident’s fundraising potential. Even before returning home to New Jersey, his campaign used the mug shot to appeal for donations from supporters. Trump further amplified this message on his Truth Social site and returned to Twitter after a two-and-a-half-year absence to share the image and direct supporters to a fundraising page.
The campaign also released a new line of merchandise featuring the mug shot, including t-shirts, beer Koozies, bumper stickers, a signed poster, and mug shot mugs. Contributions from merchandise sales and spontaneous donations skyrocketed, especially after Trump’s tweet.
These additional contributions have helped the campaign raise close to $20 million in the past three weeks. Trump was indicted in August for felony charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 election, which culminated in the violent riot at the U.S. Capitol by his supporters.
Simultaneously, Trump’s political operation has spent millions on legal fees, with over $59.2 million paid to over 100 lawyers and law firms since January 2021. Despite these challenges, Trump’s fundraising continues to thrive.
