Trump Raises $4M in His Indictment 'Persecution' Pity Party

Former President Donald Trump is turning what he calls his "persecution" into a cash cow, receiving over $4 million in donations less than 24 hours after being criminally indicted in New York City.

Trump's 2024 presidential campaign launched a barrage of indictment-themed fundraising emails shortly after the grand jury in Manhattan on Thursday voted to make Trump the first sitting or former U.S. president to be indicted in American history.

Multiple fundraising emails describe Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg as "bought-and-paid-for" by George Soros, a Jewish billionaire and Democratic mega-donor who frequently features in right-wing conspiracy theories.

The emails warn that "these truly are dark times for our country" and claim that Trump was indicted for "committing no crime" at the direction of "the radical Left, the Deep State, the Open-Borders Lobby, and Soros' globalist cabal."

"This Witch Hunt will BACKFIRE MASSIVELY on [President] Joe Biden," one of the emails states, baselessly claiming that the president was behind the indictment in New York.

Trump also personally painted himself as a victim of "persecution" and "election interference" in a statement and multiple all-caps posts to Truth Social.

The pity party fundraising strategy was a hit with Trump's base. His campaign said on Friday that it had received contributions from all 50 states "within the first five hours of the sham indictment."

"President Donald J. Trump raised over $4 million in the 24 hours following [Bragg's] unprecedented political persecution of the President, and blatant interference in the 2024 election against the leading Republican presidential candidate," the Trump campaign said in a statement.

"This incredible surge of grassroots contributions confirms that the American people see the indictment of President Trump as a disgraceful weaponization of our justice system by a Soros-funded prosecutor," the statement continued.

Trump's campaign went on to say that over 25 percent of contributions had been from first-time donors. The average contribution to the 2024 campaign was said to be $34.

The campaign said it was "funded by an unmatched coalition of hardworking patriots who are fed up with special interest donors like Soros spending billions of dollars to influence our elections."

Prior to Trump's indictment, some political analysts speculated that filing charges could help the former president in his quest to win the 2024 GOP nomination, which may be contested by other high-profile Republicans like Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.

Trump was not alone in seizing on the indictment as a Republican fundraising opportunity shortly after the move became public.

The National Republican Senatorial Committee, which raises money for GOP Senate candidates, called the indictment "an escalation of Democrats using the power of the state to target and silence their enemies" in a fundraising email.

Trump loyalists like Senator Lindsey Graham of South Carolina also urged Republicans to send money to the Trump campaign to fight "hatred" of the former president.

"You need to help this man, Donald J. Trump," a teary eyed Graham said during an interview with Fox News host Sean Hannity on Thursday night. "Donald J. Trump.com, go tonight, give the president some money to fight this b*******."

Earlier this month, the Trump campaign unleashed apocalyptic rhetoric while asking supporters to fight "persecution" by contributing to a "final battle fund."

Trump and his allies have repeatedly pushed the evidence-free claim that efforts to investigate or prosecute the former president are secretly intended as attacks against his supporters.

Newsweek has reached out via email to the office of Trump for comment.