After spending approximately six weeks in legal proceedings in a New York court, former president and likely Republican nominee Donald Trump is resuming his campaign activities without further interruptions. This shift comes after Judge Juan Merchan’s ruling, which mandated Trump’s presence at each session of his hush-money trial, significantly restricting his ability to conduct rallies and fundraising events nationwide. The conclusion of the trial last week, marked by a guilty verdict, liberates Trump to refocus on his presidential campaign efforts.
Trump’s campaign team reported an impressive influx of funds, with the former president raising a staggering $52.8 million within 24 hours following the verdict. By Sunday evening, this figure had surged past $200 million. The announcement of the verdict late Thursday afternoon spurred thousands to donate, overwhelming Trump’s fundraising platform. Despite Trump’s new designation as a “convicted felon,” many analysts believe that this could adversely affect the Democrats and President Joe Biden, who currently trails behind Trump in national surveys, including those from pivotal swing states.
Trump’s campaign has been constantly trailing behind Biden’s in terms of funding. For several months, major donors were reluctant to contribute, largely due to Trump’s ongoing legal challenges and the use of campaign funds to address his escalating legal expenses. However, recent weeks have seen a wave of support from major donors, with many confirming substantial contributions to Trump’s campaign for re-election. Even so, as of the end of April, Biden’s campaign maintained a cash-on-hand lead, with $84 million compared to Trump’s $49 million, as reported by Fox News.
Upcoming massive California fundraiser
As a “free” man, Trump is seeking to catch up on lost opportunities. He intends to travel to California, specifically to San Francisco. On June 6, he will attend a fundraiser there, hosted by two venture capitalists in this famously liberal city. Tickets for the event start at $50,000. A political expert suggests that Trump will likely focus on vigorous fundraising efforts for his campaign during this visit.
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The New York conviction to bring even more cash
Thursday’s guilty verdict has been financially advantageous for Donald Trump. The Republican presidential candidate is also enticing his supporters with the chance to win a signed MAGA hat if they contribute to his campaign.
“They believe this is red meat and dark liquor thrown to their constituency,” said David McCuan, chair of political science at Sonoma State University. “I mean this is right up their alley because they know or they can raise money from this. They can develop some momentum.”
McCuan is optimistic that this momentum will carry over to the fundraising event in California. Despite being a predominantly Democratic state, where Democrats have long prevailed, California’s status as a major source of political donations remains unaffected. McCuan refers to California as the nation’s ATM for political contributions.
“It’s not just a blue state. It’s a red state. It’s green money state. It’s a dollar state,” he added. “Look Elon Musk may be here and all over the world and may be intergalactic but he and his friends give a lot of money.”
About the race
Aggregated data from The Hill shows that Trump currently has a 1.2% lead from 724 surveys, a number that has remained the same since the guilty verdict announcement last Thursday. More notably, Trump is leading Biden in several key battleground states. According to the data, Trump has a 3.3% lead in Arizona, 4.5% in Georgia, 1.3% in Michigan, 3.3% in Nevada, 3.9% in North Carolina, 1.5% in Pennsylvania, and a slight 0.1% lead in Wisconsin.
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It’s important to note that victory in November will require both candidates to gain support from key voter groups.
