Donald Trump raises over $4m in campaign donations after indictment

Donald Trump said he has raised more than $4 million since his historic indictment and claimed the groundswell of support has solidified his “frontrunner status” in the Republican primary.

The 2024 race was plunged into uncharted waters when Mr Trump became the first-ever US president to face criminal charges over a 2016 hush-money payment to a porn star.

Pundits are split on whether the unprecedented decision by Alvin Bragg, the Manhattan district attorney, and the sordid nature of the case will ultimately help or hinder Mr Trump’s third presidential bid.

The 76-year-old claimed he is the victim of “political persecution” by a Democrat prosecutor that amounts to election interference.

Mr Trump appears to have received at least a short-term boost from the case, both in campaign donations and nationwide polling.

The former president’s campaign said he had raised “over $4 million in the 24 hours following Manhattan district attorney Alvin Bragg’s unprecedented political persecution”.

The campaign said the “incredible surge of grassroots contributions” confirmed that the US public saw the criminal charge “as a disgraceful weaponisation” of the justice system.

“Most notably, over 25 per cent of donations came from first-time donors to the Trump campaign, further solidifying president Trump’s status as the clear frontrunner in the Republican primary,” the campaign said.

The average contribution was $34. Supporters from all 50 US states had donated within five hours of the indictment news breaking, the campaign said.

Meanwhile, a recent poll by Fox News showed that Mr Trump had doubled his lead over Ron DeSantis, his closest rival, to 30 points in the race for the Republican nomination.

The poll was conducted days after it was reported Mr Trump was on the brink of being charged.

However, not all of Mr Trump’s former supporters are backing him in light of his legal threats.

Some 44 per cent of Republicans said Trump should drop out of the race if he is indicted, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos poll.

A quarter of Republicans and a third of independents said criminal charges should disqualify Mr Trump from the race in a separate Quinnipiac poll released this week before the indictment.

Washington and New York were braced for potential unrest ahead of Mr Trump’s appearance in court on Tuesday.

Mr Trump has been unrestrained in his rhetoric in recent weeks, calling for demonstrations and warning of potential “death and destruction” if he were to be charged.

His call has been heeded by allies in Congress. Marjorie Taylor Greene, ultra-Right-wing congresswoman, said she planned to travel to New York to protest.

“Under our constitutional rights, we will support president Trump and protest the tyrants,” she said.

Leading Republican rivals have also railed against the decision to charge a former president, including Mr DeSantis, who called the move “un-American”.

Mike Pence, Mr Trump’s former vice-president and potential 2024 rival, said the indictment sent a “terrible message” about US justice and will encourage dictators to abuse power.

Nikki Haley, a declared 2024 candidate, said: “This is more about revenge than it is about justice.”

Mr Trump will be booked in Manhattan, have his fingerprints and a mugshot taken ahead of a brief court appearance on Tuesday afternoon.

The case against him relates to a $130,000 payment to Stormy Daniels, a porn star who alleged she had an affair with Mr Trump in 2006.

Michael Cohen, Mr Trump’s lawyer, paid the money and was then reimbursed by Mr Trump.

Mounting a case

The charges against Mr Trump have not been unsealed but prosecutors are believed to be mounting a case that the payment was an undeclared donation, and therefore a violation of election law.

Mr Cohen later served jail time for a campaign finance violation relating to the payment and other offences.

He is expected to be a star witness against Mr Trump but prosecutors also have documentary evidence.

Mr Trump has always denied any sexual encounter with Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford.

Mr Trump’s lawyers have indicated they will move to get the case thrown out.

However, Mr Trump faces multiple other investigations involving his efforts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and his retention of classified documents after leaving the White House.

He has decried them all as politically motivated.