Former US President Donald Trump speaks at the annual convention of the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 14, 2023.
Evelyn Hockstein | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump has raised more than $34 million for his 2024 White House run since the start of the year, fueled by a large increase in donations since the announcement of criminal charges against him in New York, according to his campaign. His sum after the March 30 indictment he approached what he had taken in the previous three months.
Trump’s latest fundraising report due Saturday with the Federal Election Commission will show he raised more than $18.8 million between his main campaign account and a joint fundraising account in the first three months of the year, the campaign said. .
Of that total for Jan. 1-March 31 period, $4 million came in after Trump charged March 30 by a grand jury in Manhattan on charges related to a silence-case stemming from the 2016 election.
Fundraising numbers were first reported by Politico.
Trump has begun collecting money since news of his indictment, and his campaign said he has earned $15.4 million since the charges were announced and Saturday’s filing deadline for the fundraising report.
Trump, who also faced some other criminal investigations, has tried to use his legal troubles to galvanize supporters, saying all the cases are politically motivated. He described the charges in New York as “election interference” but also suggested they could help him win support.
Trump leads the GOP field in the early stages of the 2024 presidential race. But many high-dollar GOP donors are looking to send their support elsewhere this time around. Until his indictment, his campaign fundraising lagged behind the massive sums he previously raised during his days or hours as president.
Only a few candidates have officially joined the race, Trump’s UN ambassador Nikki Haley, a former governor of South Carolina; former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson, which announced days after Trump’s indictment was filed; and tech entrepreneurs Vivek Ramaswamy.
More candidates, including Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is expected to enter the race by the time the next fundraising reports are due in mid-July.