Former President Trump has raised over $34 million for his reelection bid this year, his campaign said, adding that a boost in contributions came after he became the first president to face criminal charges earlier this month.
Trump raised over $18 million over the first three months of the year, according to campaign finance reports filed over the weekend. The Associated Press noted that the Trump campaign said $4 million of that total was raised in the 24 hours after Trump was indicted by a New York grand jury at the end of March. In total, the former president has raised over $34 million this year, according to the campaign.
Trump began fundraising off the news of his indictment almost immediately. After being indicted in a case related to alleged hush money payments made to adult film star Stormy Daniels ahead of the 2016 election, Trump appealed to supporters for their backing, framing himself as being unfairly persecuted.
The latest fundraising numbers come as Trump has separated himself as the frontrunner for the GOP’s nomination in 2024 amongst a growing field of Republican candidates. While former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley and former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson have launched their campaigns, Trump has remained comfortably atop early polling.
Other potential GOP primary contenders, like Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former Vice President Mike Pence, have yet to announce whether they will run for president or not. But it is widely believed that DeSantis will jump into the race in the coming months.
Trump launched his campaign directly after the 2022 midterm elections in November, jumping ahead of all other GOP candidates. He has spent time in early primary states like Iowa and South Carolina over the past few months, but his headline-making indictment brought him perhaps his most visibility as his third White House campaign has kicked off.