Last week, Trump was found guilty on 34 felony accounts in a case related to his payment of “hush money” to a porn actor ahead of the 2016 election.
Now, that verdict has caused a fundraising boom as Republicans plan ways to get revenge on Trump’s political opponents, which they view as having unfairly persecuted the former president.
Trump’s Trial
The recent influx of cash to the Trump campaign and the GOP came in a massive way following news of his guilty verdict.
In the trial, Trump was accused of falsifying business records, though the former president has repeatedly called the trial a scam and denies the charges against him.
Fundraising Boost
After news of the trial spread, many of the former president’s supporters took it upon themselves to chip in to help Trump out.
According to the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, Trump raised tens of millions of dollars in just a few days in the aftermath of the trial and raised $141 million in May.
Massive Increase
This fundraising number is impressive, given that Trump and the Republican party only reported earning $76 million in April, a month that they had outearned Biden and the Democratic National Committee for the first time.
For the longest time, Biden enjoyed a substantial fundraising lead, which he put to use funding election operations in key swing state areas which put his ground operations ahead of Trump’s.
Lots of Donors
In addition to the amount of donations coming in, the Trump campaign also said that they received over two million total donations, with each donation averaging $70.27.
Amazingly, 37.6% of these two million donations came within 24 hours of Trump’s guilty verdict being read.
Republican Revenge
In the wake of Trump’s guilty verdict, Republican lawmakers are making promises to obstruct all priorities of Democrats and attempt to block President Biden’s appointees.
Republicans view the Trump trial as purely political given that it’s right before a big election and assert that Trump was not given a fair trial.
Fuel for the Campaign
Republican Senator Eric Schmitt thinks the trial was a mistake for Trump’s enemies because it will just energize his supporters even more.
“[It] adds fuel to Trump’s campaign. I think people view this more as a cause now than just a head-to-head matchup,” said Schmitt who pledged to block Democrat progress in the Senate. “I think it’s touching a nerve with the American people. They’re going to run their own races, but the truth is, I think the American people understand what’s at stake, which is, do we want to have a constitutional republic or a banana republic?”
Senate Blockade
On Friday, following the news of the trial’s outcome, eight conservative senators released a statement saying the Biden administration has “made a mockery of the rule of law.”
“Those who turned our judicial system into a political cudgel must be held accountable. We are no longer cooperating with any Democrat legislative priorities or nominations, and we invite all concerned Senators to join our stand,” wrote Republican Senator Mike Lee on X.
Criticism of Republicans
In response to the announcement on X, several top-liked comments viewed this move negatively, insisting that this doesn’t make sense.
“Trump was convicted in a New York state court, what does that have to do with the White House or Federal government?,” said one X user.
Support of Republicans
While many expressed disagreement with these Republicans and their actions, some were supportive, thinking that everyone should join in.
“Every Republican name better be on this letter soon,” said one user. “I don’t want hearings. I want subpoenas, indictments, prosecutions and jail time for every one who has participated in this sh*tshow,” wrote another.
Not Much to Do
Despite making waves with the decision to block progress for Democrats on their priorities, Republicans admit they can’t actually do much before the election.
“We don’t have a lot to do between now and (the election) other than judges and nominations,” said Republican Senator Tommy Tuberville who is part of the blockade effort. “But as Republicans, we need to stand up for our country. This wasn’t against Donald Trump. This was against people that are true Americans and believe in this country.”
Success of the Strategy
The efforts of Republicans to block Democrat agendas might not come to fruition even in cases where they have something to do because Democrats currently control the Senate.
However, this move does help in the sense that it can be used to show Trump supporters and voters that they are standing loyally with the former president, which has already shown a reported surge in fundraising for GOP legislators as well.
