Trump Raises Campaign Funds with 'Mugshots'... Encouraging Donations and Selling Merchandise

Donald Trump, the leading Republican presidential candidate and former U.S. president, took the unprecedented step of using his mugshot?the first ever taken of a U.S. president?as a rallying point to mobilize his supporters on the 25th (local time). He claimed the mugshot was the result of political persecution by the Biden administration and began encouraging political donations.

Trump posted the mugshot on his campaign website, stating, "What is happening now is a distortion of justice and election interference," and added, "The left is trying to intimidate you from voting for a political outsider who puts the American people first."

A donation appeal post by former President Donald Trump on the campaign website. (Photo by Trump Campaign Official Website)

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He continued, "I walked into the lion's den with a simple message that I will never give up the mission to save America," and requested donations to help "remove the corrupt Joe Biden from the White House if possible." Donation amounts range from $24 to $3,300.

Earlier, on the evening of the previous day, Trump also posted the mugshot on his X (formerly Twitter) account, promoting his campaign website with the message, "Election interference, never surrender."

Following the release of Trump’s mugshot, his presidential campaign sent an email titled "Breaking News: Mugshot" to supporters within minutes, launching sales of T-shirts printed with the mugshot. The campaign claimed in the email that "this mugshot will forever remain in history as a symbol of American resistance against tyranny."

Merchandise featuring mugshots sold at the Trump camp. (Photo source=Trump camp website)

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The campaign is currently selling mugshot-related merchandise on its website, including T-shirts, mugs, and car stickers featuring the phrase "Never surrender."

The reason they turned the mugshot into a marketing tool appears to be based on the observation that each indictment has actually galvanized his support base. Despite being indicted four times this year on charges including hush money for a sexual misconduct scandal, leaking classified documents, and attempting to overturn the election results, Trump’s approval rating within the party remains high, hovering around 50%.

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