Former President Donald Trump raked in more than $35 million in the second quarter as his army of small-dollar donors rallied to his side even as his legal woes mounted.
(Bloomberg) — Former President Donald Trump raked in more than $35 million in the second quarter as his army of small-dollar donors rallied to his side even as his legal woes mounted.
The money was raised through the Trump Save America Joint Fundraising Committee, which splits donations between his campaign and his leadership political action committee, according to a person familiar with its finances. The number, first reported by Politico, far exceeded the $18.8 million raised in the previous quarter.
The fundraising haul comes as Trump remains the frontrunner for the GOP nomination. He’s the choice of 52.4% of voters in the RealClearPolitics average of national polls, with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis the only other candidate in double digits at 21.5%.
Eight other candidates, including Mike Pence, Trump’s former vice president; Senator Tim Scott and former Governor Nikki Haley, both from South Carolina; and former New Jersey Governor Chris Christie are all below 6%.
Trump is the first candidate to release a number. Campaigns are to report detailed information on their receipts and expenditures to the Federal Election Commission on July 15. DeSantis raised $8.2 million in the 24 hours after he began his presidential bid in late May, but hasn’t released a number for the rest of the quarter.
Earlier: Trump Retains Polling Lead, Raises $6.6 Million After Indictment
The surge follows a disappointing start to Trump’s fundraising. His first-quarter tally was less than the $20.4 million he raised in the fourth quarter of 2022, which included $9.5 million after he announced his third run for the White House on Nov. 15.
But legal troubles, including a pair of indictments, have fired up supporters. In the days after a Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump on March 30 on charges related to hush-money payments to an adult-film star, the campaign announced it had raised $15.4 million.
The campaign said it raised $6.6 million “in a few short days” after Special Counsel Jack Smith indicted Trump in federal court on 37 felony counts related to mishandling classified materials and conspiring to stymie efforts by US officials to recover them.
Trump pleaded not guilty to the New York charges on April 4 and to the federal charges on June 13. No previous former president has faced criminal charges. Trump, who has decried both cases as “election interference,” makes frequent references to the prosecutions in fundraising emails and texts.
Trump increased the share of each dollar that goes to Save America, the leadership PAC he uses to pay legal expenses in some of his court battles. Previously, it had been receiving a penny of each dollar raised. Trump increased that to 10% of each dollar.
The pending criminal cases aren’t the former president’s only legal difficulties. He’s being sued by writer E. Jean Carroll, for remarks he made after a federal jury found him liable for sexual abuse and defamation. Trump has also filed his own suit against her claiming she defamed him.
Read More: Trump Hardens Position on Abortion, Rails Against Indictment
New York State launched a $250 million civil fraud suit against him, the Trump Organization and three of his children last September. Ivanka Trump, his eldest daughter, won dismissal from the suit but he, his sons Donald Trump Jr. and Eric Trump, who serve as senior executives, are still defendants.
Donald Trump also faces further investigations from Smith’s office over his involvement in the Jan. 6, 2021, riot at the US Capitol and a proceeding in Georgia examining his efforts to overturn President Joe Biden’s victory in the state.
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