Former president Donald Trump has raised nearly $20 million in the past three weeks, a period that roughly coincides with his indictment in federal and state cases connected to his claims that the 2020 election was stolen from him, Trump's campaign spokesperson said.
Since appearing Thursday to have his mug shot taken in a racketeering and fraud case in Atlanta, Georgia, the former president brought in $7.1 million, Trump spokesperson Steven Cheung said on Saturday on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter.
On Friday alone, Trump brought in $4.18 million, making it the highest-grossing day of his campaign so far, Cheung said.
His mug shot, posted by a Georgia courthouse on Thursday evening, has been turned into T-shirts, shot glasses, mugs, posters and even bobblehead dolls by friends and foes alike.
The shot of Trump with a red tie, glistening hair, and an icy scowl was taken as the Republican presidential front-runner was arrested on more than a dozen felony charges, part of a criminal case stemming from his attempts to overturn the 2020 election.
While Trump described his appearance Thursday as a “terrible experience” and said posing for the historic mug shot was “not a comfortable feeling,” his campaign immediately seized on its fundraising power.
Trump, who was elected president in 2016 but defeated by Democrat Joe Biden in 2020, is again seeking the Republican Party's nomination for president.
Trump is currently facing four indictments, including two related to his false claims that the election was stolen and the January 6, 2021, attack by his followers on the US Capitol in Washington, DC.
He has denied all charges.
Trump's legal woes
On August 15, Trump was indicted by a Georgia grand jury after an investigation by Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis into his efforts to overturn his 2020 election loss to Biden in the state.
On August 3, he pleaded not guilty to charges brought by Special Counsel Jack Smith in federal court in Washington that he conspired to defraud the United States by preventing Congress from certifying Biden's 2020 election victory over him and to deprive voters of their right to a fair election.
He has also pleaded not guilty to charges of unlawfully keeping classified documents after leaving office, and of falsifying business records in a case in New York related to the payment of so-called hush money to adult actress Stormy Daniels before the 2016 presidential election.
To boost his fundraising campaign, Trump posted on X for the first time since 2021, directing his supporters to a fundraising page.
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Source: TRT