Are Trump's indictment-inspired cash bounces starting to fall flat?

What was once a reliable money train may be showing signs of slowing

Hand holding cash over American Flag background
(Image credit: Illustrated / Getty Images)

In spite of (or perhaps because of) his growing suite of criminal indictments, former President Donald Trump has managed to dominate the 2024 GOP presidential primary field thanks in no small part to a preternatural talent for spinning his personal legal peril into campaign finance gold. Trump's reelection bid "reported massive surges in donations in the wake of both his first indictment in late March in New York and the federal indictment returned in June," CNBC reported last month, pointing out the campaign has deliberately used his criminal exposure as a fundraising tactic by putting the various charges "front and center" in his many appeals for cash. So when Justice Department Special Counsel Jack Smith announced a historic third indictment against Trump — this time for his efforts to subvert the results of the 2020 presidential election — it came as little surprise that the former president's campaign team was quick to leverage the move as yet another fundraising opportunity, complete with a line of "I Stand with Trump" tee-shirts available in exchange for a $47 dollar donation to their Trump Save America Joint Action Committee.

This time, however, there are signs that the campaign's once-reliable post-indictment donation bump may be flattening, even as his legal fees skyrocket accordingly. Is Trump's indictment-fueled cash flow starting to dry up, or can the thrice-indicted candidate continue to expect an influx of funds with each new charge against him?

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Rafi Schwartz, The Week US

Rafi Schwartz has worked as a politics writer at The Week since 2022, where he covers elections, Congress and the White House. He was previously a contributing writer with Mic focusing largely on politics, a senior writer with Splinter News, a staff writer for Fusion's news lab, and the managing editor of Heeb Magazine, a Jewish life and culture publication. Rafi's work has appeared in Rolling Stone, GOOD and The Forward, among others.