Donald Trump is the first US president in history to be put on trial; the jury in New York finds him guilty. Trump wants to profit from the verdict, and some supporters are already jumping on the idea.
The campaign team of former US President Donald Trump asked supporters for donations immediately after the guilty verdict in the New York hush money trial. “I am a political prisoner,” said an email from the Trump team and on the Republican's donation website. “I was just convicted in a rigged witch hunt trial: I did nothing wrong,” it continued. “But with your support at this moment in history, we will win back the White House and make America great again.”
Immediately after the guilty verdict, some major Republican donors increased their financial support for Donald Trump. “We will be fully committed to him,” Don Tapia, a former Trump ambassador to Jamaica, told Reuters. He and a small network of family members and friends had planned to support Trump in this election with around $250,000. After the conviction, the group plans to give more than a million dollars.
Shaun Maguire, a Silicon Valley tech investor who had not previously donated to Trump, announced on social media site X after the verdict that he had donated $300,000 in support of Trump. “I believe our justice system is being used as a weapon against him,” Maguire told Reuters.
The entrepreneurs David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya are holding a fundraising event for Trump in Democratic-governed California at the beginning of June. According to CNBC, tickets for the event cost between $50,000 and $300,000 per person. For couples, double tickets are available for a mere $500,000.
The ex-president's appeal also seemed to have a big impact. Several US websites reported overnight that Trump's donation page had collapsed under the huge onslaught.
After the verdict against Donald Trump: Biden's campaign also calls for donations
The campaign team of Trump's political opponent, incumbent Joe Biden, also called on his supporters to pull out their credit cards. “Convicted criminal or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president,” wrote the Democrat's team. Trump will likely collect record amounts of donations because of the guilty verdict and can then spend this money on the election campaign. “If you've been waiting for the perfect time to make your first donation to Joe Biden's re-election campaign, today is the day to do it,” it continued.
“He was no longer in the mood to laugh”: Stern reporter describes moment of Trump's conviction
Trump had recently been found guilty in a trial for concealing hush money payments to a porn actress in New York. It is the first time in the history of the United States that a former president has been convicted of a crime. The 77-year-old Republican will most likely run against Biden (81) in the presidential election in November.
