Initially, Democrats were ecstatic about the publication of Donald Trump’s arrest photo after he turned himself in to authorities in Georgia on Thursday, but it soon became apparent that the image had severely backfired for liberals.
Trump immediately converted the publication of his mugshot into a massive influx of campaign contributions.
According to the liberal politics website Politico, in the few days since the ex-president was arrested on charges of attempting to interfere in Georgia’s 2020 elections, he leveraged the photo into $7.1 million in campaign contributions.
Incredibly, Trump reportedly raised $4.18 million in the first 24 hours following the publication of the photo. Politico reported that it was the most he’s ever raised in a 24-hour period for his campaign.
Trump’s campaign has also earned millions from the sale of merchandise, including T-shirts, coffee mugs, and other items emblazoned with his mugshot.
The former president himself initiated the fundraising campaign by posting a message on X, formerly known as Twitter, encouraging supporters to visit his campaign website.
https://t.co/MlIKklPSJT pic.twitter.com/Mcbf2xozsY
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2023
An important point must be made regarding his fundraising: if one can extrapolate from his benefactors, Trump is the choice of average Americans.
NBC News reported that the majority of Donald Trump’s campaign contributions come from so-called “small donors,” or those who give $100 or less. This is in contrast to the majority of legislators, who receive the majority of their campaign funding from wealthy benefactors.
Since June, Trump has received modest donations from 400 000 supporters, according to data obtained by NBC. And that “includes more than 115,000 new, online donors who joined the fold the week surrounding the New York indictment, plus another 29,000 who gave for the first time in the 2024 campaign after his federal indictment in Miami,” NBC added.
Comparatively, former U.N. ambassador and South Carolina governor Nikki Haley and South Carolina senator Tim Scott had approximately 40,000 minor donors each. Former Vice President Mike Pence had less than three thousand.
Undoubtedly, all of the merchandise is destined for small donors and Americans eager to demonstrate their support for Trump with a T-shirt or coffee mug.
Despite this, it is evident that Donald Trump has not lost a single fundraising step since his indictment and arrest in Georgia. Nor has he lost significant support for his presidential campaign.
Trump is not the only candidate garnering new supporters and financial contributions.
Several of the eight candidates who fought over the issues during the first Republican debate garnered support in the aftermath of the debate.
For instance, businessman Vivek Ramaswamy earned $450,000 in the first twenty-four hours following his debate appearance.
Governor Ron DeSantis performed even better. The day following the debate, his campaign reported receiving more than $1 million in contributions.
However, Trump chose his date for his self-introduction quite well. By selecting the day following the GOP debate, he refocused the news cycle on himself and moved debate coverage off the front pages.
The American people appear to be paying more attention to the 2024 campaign now that the primaries are less than five months away, despite the fact that Trump still appears to be consuming all the oxygen in the room in terms of Republican presidential politics.