Mediaboss Marketing

Donald Trump had been raising roughly $168,000 per day from Jan. 1 until when charges were filed against him on March 30. | Darron Cummings/AP Photo

Former President Donald Trumps 2024 fundraising has been turbocharged by his indictment, according to new figures provided by his campaign.

Trump raised a combined $18.8 million in the first quarter through his joint fundraising committee and his campaign, the latter of which is required to report its first-quarter financial activity on Saturday.

But the campaign also says it brought in nearly the same amount in the two weeks after the charges were filed against the former president $15.4 million underscoring just how much the charges against Trump have animated his backers. In another indication that the indictment has helped Trump to grow his fundraising base, nearly a quarter of those who contributed to Trump during that period had never given to him before.

The figures provide a snapshot of how Trumps arrest has, at least for the time being, shaped the Republican primary. While the former presidents indictment along with potential future charges in several ongoing investigations puts him in serious legal jeopardy, it has helped to solidify his standing with his supporters and grow his campaign war chest.

In general, any time a candidates name is all over the media and dominating attention, its good for fundraising, said Eric Wilson, a Republican digital strategist. The wall-to-wall coverage just put him top of mind for donors.

Whether Trumps torrid fundraising pace persists or gradually returns to its slower, pre-indictment level is uncertain. Trump had been raising roughly $168,000 per day from Jan. 1 until when charges were filed against him on March 30, according to the figures his team provided. In the 24 hours that followed, he raised over $4 million. (The first quarter ended on March 31, the day after Trumps indictment was first confirmed, meaning only a small segment of Trumps post-indictment fundraising is reflected in the first-quarter figures.)

Trump has been raising money into a pair of political vehicles since launching his campaign last November: his leadership political action committee, Save America, and his presidential campaign. According to the figures provided by his campaign, Trumps filing with the Federal Election Commission will show that the campaign collected $14.5 million during the first quarter, nearly all of which came from a transfer by the joint fundraising committee. The campaign will also report that it spent $3.5 million and had $13.9 million in cash on hand as of the end of March.

Trump representatives did not disclose stand-alone financial specifics for Save America, such as how much it spent and what it had in cash on hand. That group is not required to disclose its activity with the Federal Election Commission until July.

The former president has turned his legal battles into the centerpiece of his digital fundraising push, regularly sending out appeals to supporters portraying himself as a victim and pleading with them for campaign cash.

With the witch hunts heating up like never before, please make a contribution to stand with me in the fight to SAVE AMERICA, read one such Trump campaign email.

The appeals have helped Trump raise money from donors who are giving in small increments. According to the figures provided by his team, more than 97 percent of those who contributed to Trumps joint fundraising committee and his campaign in the two weeks following the indictment did so in increments of less than $200. Trump received more than 312,000 donations, with an average contribution of $49, between the accounts in the two-week period following the indictment, his campaign said.

While Trumps fundraising performance is a fraction of what he raised when he was president he brought in $30.3 million during the first three months of 2019, during his reelection run he is almost certain to be a top performer in the current election given his substantial base of support and because he has accelerated his fundraising since the indictment. His numbers top that of another announced candidate, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley, who has announced raising more than $11 million between her Feb. 15 campaign launch and the end of the first quarter. Haley has $7.8 million on hand.

But Trump faces a formidable force on the fundraising front in Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Since winning reelection last November, DeSantis has been continuing to draw large- and small-sized donations into a state-based political account that he would likely look to transfer toward a presidential bid, should he choose to run. According to filings released earlier this week, the organization reported having $85 million available. Since last November, DeSantis has drawn seven-figure contributions from prominent conservative donors, including Pennsylvania options trader Jeff Yass, investor John Childs and TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts.

A pro-DeSantis super PAC, meanwhile, recently announced that it has raised $30 million. The organization, Never Back Down, on Friday placed $3.5 million in television buys for one-week, national cable and early-state broadcast ad blitz beginning next Tuesday promoting DeSantis, who has been winning backing from Republican Party donors who wish to move on from Trump.

Trumps campaign has been taking steps to bolster its fundraising. It has brought aboard GOP fundraiser Meredith ORourke to oversee its finance efforts, a role that had previously been unfilled. ORourke has also been since October working for Make America Great Again, Inc., the principal pro-Trump super PAC. The group ended last year with $54 million on hand, and over the last few weeks has been airing TV ads targeting DeSantis.

The campaign has also tapped Parks Bennett, the owner of the Republican digital firm Campaign Inbox, to spearhead its online fundraising. The firm was also involved in Trumps 2016 campaign.

Here is the original post:
Indictment turbocharges Trump's fundraising - POLITICO - POLITICO

Donald J. Trumps presidential campaign took in $14.4 million in the first three months of 2023, part of an $18.8 million haul across his two campaign committees this quarter a modest sum that captures only the beginning of a fund-raising bonanza set off by his indictment in late March.

In the weeks since then, Mr. Trump has raised more than $15 million, his campaign said Saturday ahead of its quarterly filing with the Federal Election Commission including at least $4 million in the 24 hours after The Times reported his indictment on March 30.

A more thorough accounting of Mr. Trumps post-indictment fund-raising will not be available for months, when the next quarterly filing is due. Still, the latest numbers show that the case against Mr. Trump gave a jolt of energy to his efforts to raise campaign funds, which had been sluggish out of the gate, drawing more than 300,000 individual donations, a vast majority of which were under $200, his campaign said.

Mr. Trump had a head start in fund-raising against his current and potential rivals for the Republican nomination, but perhaps more significant is the way his base has rallied around the former president after his indictment, which many of his supporters see as politically motivated.

Steve Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, did not respond to a request for comment.

Mr. Trump has raised most of his money through his Save America Joint Fundraising Committee $14 million of the campaigns recorded haul in the first quarter was transferred from the committee. The campaign said the total raised by the two committees was $18.8 million.

Mr. Trumps campaign reported $13.9 million cash on hand as of March 31.

The Trump campaign has used his joint fund-raising committee not merely as an umbrella group to disburse funds, but also to pay some campaign expenses, according to that committees most recent filings, in January. The committee has also transferred funds to a separate committee, called Save America, that has supported Mr. Trumps political activities.

The overlapping patchwork of committees that has become standard for presidential candidates can at times cloud a campaigns financial picture. This was the case Saturday with the presidential campaign of Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador.

Ms. Haleys campaign had said it raised $11 million in the first six weeks of her presidential run. But when three committees tied to her campaign filed their disclosures on Saturday night, it appeared that number may have double-counted funds transferred between them.

Her joint fund-raising committee, Team Stand for America, took in $4.4 million and transferred $1.8 million to her campaign committee, Nikki Haley for President, which reported an additional $3.3 million in contributions. Team Stand for America also transferred $886,000 to her leadership PAC, which itself raised $600,000 more.

The campaign appears to have double-counted those two transfers, a total of $2.7 million, making the actual haul about $8.3 million. A super PAC backing Ms. Haley does not have to file a report until July the PAC reported $2 million on hand at the end of 2022.

A spokeswoman for Ms. Haleys campaign said Saturday night that the campaign had followed the precedent set by other candidates in their filings. A representative for the F.E.C. did not respond to a request for comment.

Ms. Haleys campaign is not the first to count funds transferred between committees as part of an overall haul: Mr. Trumps campaign did it in 2021.

See the article here:
Trump's Fund-Raising: From Sluggish to Surging After Indictment - The New York Times

April 17, 2023 by Chris Young and filed under Elections, News and Public Affairs.

Listen:

A new poll shows Governor Ron DeSantis leading former President Donald Trump in two battleground states. This comes as both politicians are starting to air attack ads.

The poll, conducted by Public Opinion Strategies, shows a majority of voters in these swing states- 56% in Pennsylvania and 55% in Arizona say they are unlikely to vote for Trump next year.

Thats compared to 45% in Pennsylvania and 44% in Arizona who say they arent too likely to vote for DeSantis.

This comes as Trump released a new ad attacking DeSantiss stance on social security. The ad pokes fun at rumors that DeSantis once ate pudding with his hands.

Ron DeSantis loves sticking his fingers where they dont belong. And were not just talking about pudding. DeSantis has his dirty fingers all over senior entitlements like cutting Medicare, slashing social security, even raising our retirement age

Governor Ron DeSantis fired back with a commercial calling the social security claims lies.

Trump should fight Democrats, not lie about Governor DeSantis. What happened to Donald Trump?

DeSantis has yet to announce his official run for president.

Tags: Donald Trump, election, poll, Republican, Ron DeSantis

Read more here:
Governor DeSantis leads Donald Trump in battleground states, new ... - WMNF

Amid the sordid crimes of the American Empire, running from the Mexican-American War under Polk to the Forever Wars that have marked the 21st century, there have been a few brave souls who have stood as the nations conscience. These dissidents have repeatedly mounted principled opposition to plunder, torture, and conquest. The roll call of anti-imperialist heroes includes Henry David Thoreau, Mark Twain, W.E.B. Du Bois, Helen Keller, Martin Luther King Jr., Noam Chomsky, Bernie Sanders, and Barbara Lee.1

Does former president Donald Trump deserve a place in this pantheon?2

This might seem like an absurd suggestion, but as Trump runs for the Republican nomination he is playing up the idea that his foreign policy record is more pacific than that of Establishment figures like Joe Biden. In a February speech, Trump warned about a hawkish Establishment made up of Washingtons generals, bureaucrats, and the so-called diplomats who only know how to get us into conflict butdont know how to get us out. Trump offered himself as an alternative to this Establishmentwhich he insisted was in danger of provoking a Third World War with Russia.3

This celebration of Donald the Dove has lately been echoed not just by MAGA Republicans but also by some ostensibly left-wing thinkers. In February, Glenn Greenwald interviewed Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene and the two found common ground on Greenwalds insistence that the energy behind opposing American interventionismAmerican warsis much more on the populist right than the populist left. Greene cited Trumps opposition to never-ending wars as an example.4

The most detailed and thoughtful argument for this position came in a recent article by Marxist scholar Christian Parenti in Compacta magazine that has tried to cultivate an alliance between the MAGA right and disaffected leftists. Parentis contention is that Trumps recent arrest for falsifying business records was actually a political witch hunt on the part of the Establishment, motivated by a hatred of Trumps anti-imperial foreign policy. Parenti also refers to Trumps anti-militarist policy. According to Parenti, To the frustration of those who benefit from it, Trump worked to unwind the American empire. Indeed, he has done more to restrain the US imperium than any politician in 75 years.5

In support of his argument, Parenti notes that Trump didnt start any new wars, that he ordered the withdrawal of one-third of all US military personnel from Germany and ordered the Pentagon to explore withdrawing troops from South Korea.6

The South Korean withdrawal Trump urged on never happened, which raises one major problem with Parentis thesis. Trumps foreign policy, like his presidency in general, had a lot of bluster and shouting (including threats to unleash nuclear weapons on North Korea). But Trump, unschooled in policy-making, had less control over his administration than almost any modern president. He was unusually beholden to both the permanent bureaucracy and the conventional Republicans hawks (like Mike Pompeo, Nikki Haley, and John Bolton) who staffed his administration. Which meant that Trumps chest-thumping about withdrawing from NATO and other moves away from empire amounted to little more than hot air.7

Parentis own account of Trumps actions gives the lie to the idea of Trump as anti-imperialist. As Parenti reports,8

By early summer 2017, the Joint Chiefs of Staff had become so worried that they held a meeting with Trump at the Pentagon at which they attempted to explain how Americas informal empire functions. Trump didnt dig the presentation. Calling his generals dopes and babies and losers, he demanded to know why the United States wasnt receiving free oil from the Middle East.9

In his anger, Trump reportedly said, We spent $7 trillion; theyre ripping us off. Where is the fucking oil? Its a strange anti-imperialism that wants to, in Trumps phrasing, take the oil.10

Thats because the battle between Trump and the Establishment was not actually between anti-imperialism and imperialism. Rather it was a contest between two rival forms of imperialism. Trump wanted raw imperial plunderas practiced in its classic form by European nations during the 19th and early 20th century, and by the United States in its relationship with Central and South America. This is an imperialism of naked territorial conquest, resource plunder, and alliances with local comprador autocrats.11

Readers like you make our independent journalism possible.

The Joint Chiefs of Stafflike the larger American Establishmenthas little appetite for this naked policy of looting in the name of enrichment. Rather, in a manner that goes back to the creation of the national security state under Harry Truman and Dean Acheson at the dawn of the Cold War in the late 1940s, the Establishment prefers that American global hegemony wear the decent drapery of internationalism and institutionalism. Instead of selfish appeals to America First, global hegemony is secured by claiming the form of support for an international liberal orderone maintained by alliances like NATO and SEATO as well as through agreements like NAFTA. This is imperialism in the name of international law, human rights, and free trade.12

Trump came to power fueled by popular dissatisfaction with that bipartisan liberal internationalism whose claims to be improving the world were discredited by both the Forever Wars and the global economic meltdown of 2008. But Trumps alternative of nationalist unilateralism was neither anti-war nor anti-imperialist. It should be rejected not just because it was ineptly and haphazardly implemented. It should also be rejected because it legitimizes militarism just as muchif not morethan mainstream liberal internationalism.13

Trumps foreign policy, especially in the Middle East, where he formed a close personal alliance with Mohammed Bin Salman of Saudi Arabia and Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel, was one of more rubble, less trouble. The idea was to unleash the Pentagon by getting rid of restrictions on military violence against civilians and abandoning hypocritical rhetoric about human rights. The results were an intensification of the War on Terror.14

In a response to Christian Parenti, Zack Beauchamp of Vox notes:15

In 2017, Trump became the first US president to order an attack on the Syrian government, bombing an airfield in retaliation for chemical weapons strikes, something Obama famously refused to do. In 2018, he pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal and bombed Syrian government positions again. In 2019, Trump approved airstrikes on Iranian soil, only to call the planes back literally while they were in the air. And in 2020, he had General Qassem Soleimani, the commander of Irans elite Quds force, assassinated while the Iranian leader was near the Baghdad airport.16

Its true that Trump didnt launch full-scale wars the way George W. Bush didbut that wasnt for lack of trying. In addition to the Middle East, Trump repeatedly threatened violence against countries such as Mexico, Venezuela, and North Korea. (He is still interested in launching an attack on Mexico under the pretext of fighting the drug cartels.) As Beauchamp points out, Trumps pardoning of American soldiers guilty of war crimes also has to be factored in his foreign policy legacy. Its likely to encourage US soldiers to be even more indifferent to civilian life.17

Whats striking, however, given Trumps record of belligerence, is that he rarely gets called out for his reckless warmongering by Democrats. This relative silence has helped feed the myth of the anti-war Trump. Democrats, going back to Hillary Clintons ill-fated campaign of 2016, have tried to win the support of Republican hawks by arguing that Trump is weak on Russia. Clinton even claimed in 2016 that Trump was likely to be too supportive of Palestinians in their negotiations with Israel (which turned out to be the opposite of the truth).18

Parenti is right about one thing. He complains that the arrest of the former president has led to a Trump-centric media feeding frenzy. There has long been a too-personalized attack on Trumpone that focuses on his allegedly unique transgressions. The focus on Russiagate and the impeachment of Trump over Ukraine policy were clearly efforts to mark him as a foreign policy heretic with the goal of creating a bipartisan consensus against him. If Trump was, in Hillary Clintons words, Putins puppetthen Republicans and Democrats could unite against him. But Trump was never really Putins puppet. Rather, he was, and is, a belligerent nationalist trying to achieve normal goals of US hegemonybut unilaterally and not through traditional alliances.19

The pursuit of a bipartisan consensus in defense of the foreign policy status quo has come at a steep cost. Trump has been allowed to recast himself as an anti-war president because Democrats still havent made any effort to describe what his foreign policy really was.20

See the article here:
The Surprisingly Durable Myth of Donald Trump, Anti-Imperialist - The Nation

To the Editor:

Re How to Make Trump Go Away, by Frank Luntz (Opinion guest essay, April 10):

Republicans are tying themselves in knots trying to come up with candidates who can appeal to Trump voters but who are not Donald Trump. The latest effort is this essay by the Republican strategist Frank Luntz.

I laughed and groaned when I read about the search for a candidate who champions Mr. Trumps agenda but with decency, civility and a commitment to personal responsibility and accountability. Really? How could such a thing be possible?

Mr. Trumps agenda if one can say he has an agenda other than himself is one of building a power base by stoking grievance, resentment and division. It is inherently based on indecency and incivility.

The last thing this country needs is a smoother, more effective version of Donald Trump. We need an agenda that brings us together to make America a better place for everyone, not just for some at the expense of others. We dont need an agenda that divides, debases and weakens us, whoever the candidate.

John MasonSanta Rosa, Calif.

To the Editor:

Frank Luntzs eight suggestions to the Republican leadership on how to dump Donald Trump are well considered and rational. But one other rational thought that he omitted is the threat that Mr. Trump would run as an independent if he isnt nominated for the 2024 presidential race. Even a small percentage of his hard-core base could crush the chances for a normal Republican candidate to win the general election.

Mr. Trump is irrational enough to spend the funds he has raised already plus some of his own in a vindictive, spoiler candidacy. Its not a mystery why Republican leaders dont know how to escape their dilemma.

Davis van BakergemSt. Louis

To the Editor:

As one of the steadily increasing body of independents, I read Frank Luntzs column avidly to see where there might be a case to be made on behalf of the Republicans. Unfortunately, there is an underlying premise that Donald Trump did a lot of good things for the country during his term.

I fail to see them.

True, the economy was in good shape before the coronavirus, but I ascribe that in large part to the hard work of the Obama years. The only program of note that Mr. Trump initiated was the tax cuts that sharply increased an already swollen deficit and that benefited our citizens who least needed the help. Far from helping the disenfranchised, he milked them for his personal benefit and widened the divide.

Internationally, he alienated our longstanding allies in Europe. We are left with his impact on the bureaucracy and judiciary. Mr. Luntz must mean rendering governance ineffectual through starvation and converting the judiciary into a political body.

Not my idea of a record to run on.

Tony PellBoston

To the Editor:

Thank you for this great piece. Everything Frank Luntz said resonated with me, a liberal residing among some very strong conservatives. He went the extra mile to really understand Trump voters and describe in great detail how a Republican candidate could succeed with them in a future election.

It was very thought-provoking, and helped me gain an even deeper insight into my neighbors and their concerns. I will remember what he wrote.

Mary HollenGreenbank, Wash.

To the Editor:

Frank Luntz offers messaging advice for Republican presidential candidates to attract MAGA voters away from Donald Trump: Listen and sympathize with Trump supporters, he says, emphasize decency, civility and personal responsibility. Acknowledge Mr. Trumps successes and offer the mildest criticisms of his presidential record and personal behavior. Make it more about the grandchildren because these mature right-wing voters care about the kids future.

No doubt there are disillusioned Trump voters who are ready for a different message, but how many? Racism, misogyny and apocalyptic nihilism are the hallmarks of Trumpism. Mr. Luntzs advice is not only risible adopt a liberal demeanor without the Enlightenment values but also paradoxical. It presumes an electorate yearning for a kinder, gentler fascism.

To the Editor:

Re After Shunning Assad for Years, the Arab World Changes Its Tune (news article, April 14):

It is troubling to see that several Arab nations have chosen to embrace President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, whose tenure has been marked by unspeakable atrocities and egregious human rights violations. His reign of tyranny and terror should result in ongoing condemnation, not the newfound credibility that is being bestowed upon him by Syrias Arab neighbors.

Mass killings and widespread violence that have forced millions of people to flee their homes cannot and should not be overlooked when assessing the strategic importance of re-establishing formal relations with Syria and its rogue leader.

Mr. al-Assad should be reviled, not recognized.

N. Aaron TroodlerBala Cynwyd, Pa.

To the Editor:

Thank you for A Better Alternative to Guardianship, by Emily Largent, Andrew Peterson and Jason Karlawish (Opinion guest essay, April 5).

As they note, the overuse of guardianship robs people of agency in their own lives. Those with guardians are left out of important conversations about their future, they dont develop the skills necessary to make life choices and they are prohibited from entering into legal agreements, managing their money or getting married without the guardians consent.

Because the individual has been deemed legally incompetent, the guardian signs any legally binding contracts, co-signs any disbursements and, depending on the state, may have to sign the marriage license.

For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, families are all too often counseled when their family member leaves school to seek guardianship.

Nationwide data from the National Core Indicators indicates that among people with intellectual and developmental disabilities receiving services, a staggering 45 percent are under some form of guardianship. Supported decision-making, described in the essay, provides a much-needed alternative to this denial of rights and agency.

Valerie J. BradleyCambridge, Mass.The writer is president emerita of the Human Services Research Institute.

Originally posted here:
Opinion | The Republican Search for Alternatives to Trump - The New York Times