Donald Trump.Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Donald Trump’s campaign remains strong despite his recent indictment—at least, according to his own advisors.
Just last week, a Manhattan grand jury voted toindict the former president, six years after he allegedly paid hush money to adult film starStormy Danielswhile he was the Republican presidential candidate in 2016.
Trump, 76, who isactively campaigning for another termin the White House, is the first sitting or former president in U.S. history to face criminal charges.
Trump has already begun attempting to profit off the news, with his PAC sending out a fundraising email with the subject line, “Tomorrow, I will be arrested,” on Monday. His campaign is also selling “I Stand With Trump” T-shirts — and one advisor of his 2024 campaign claims that the candidate is raising “record” millions.
“🚨In only three days sincenews of the indictment, President@realDonaldTrump’s campaign has raised a record $7M.🚨 #MAGA 🇺🇸,” Trump advisor Jason Miller wrote via Twitter on Monday.
Thecharges against Trumphave not yet been made public, as his indictment is currently under seal, but further details may come to lighton Tuesday, when the former president is expected to appear in a Manhattan courtroom for his arraignment, according to his attorneys.
NBC News reports that District Attorney Alvin Bragg can at that time ask the court to unseal the charges.
Sources have indicated to outlets including CNN that Trumpcould face at least 30 charges— some of which stem from the alleged $130,000 hush money payment being documented as “legal expenses” in the financial records of the Trump Organization.
AsThe Washington Postnotes, Trump’s first court appearancewon’t be broadcastacross the nation, since New York prohibits the use of cameras in most courtrooms.
News ofTrump’s alleged affairwith Danielssurfaced in 2018, when theWall Street Journalreported that Trumparranged a $130,000 paymentto the ex-porn star a month before the 2016 election so she’d keep quiet about an alleged sexual encounter they’d had years earlier.
While Trump and his longtime lawyerMichael Coheninitially denied the claims of an affair, Cohen later admitted that there was a payment made to the porn star.
Calling it “a private transaction,“Cohen toldThe New York Timesthat he paid Daniels $130,000 out of his own pocket in 2016. He said Trump had not reimbursed him.
Trump has since admitted he authorized the $130,000 payment, but has continued to deny the underlying claims that the two had an affair or that the payment was in any way connected to his campaign.
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Breaking her silence,Daniels weighed in on the indictmentand toldThe Sunday Times, “Trump is no longer untouchable. A person in power is not exempt from the law. And no matter what your job is, or what your bank account says, you’re held accountable for the things you’ve said and done, and justice is served.”
Though she added that the grand jury’s decision is “vindication,” she also said, “It’s bittersweet. He’s done so much worse that he should have been taken down [for] before. I am fully aware of the insanity of it, being a porn star. But it’s also poetic; this p—- grabbed back.”
She went on to share her thoughts on the inevitable fallout over the indictment.
“It’s monumental and epic, and I’m proud,” Daniels said in part. “The other side of it is that it’s going to continue to divide people and bring them up in arms. He’s already gotten away with inciting a riot, and causing death and destruction. Whatever the outcome is, it’s going to cause violence, and there’s going to be injuries and death. There’s the potential for a lot of good to come from this. But either way, a lot of bad is going to come from it, too.”
source: people.com
