Donald Trump's "mug shot" boosts his campaign?

On August 6th, the Kenya Forum reported on an opinion poll that showed that former US President and Republican hopeful for the next US election due in November 2024, Donald Trump, was way ahead of his main rival for the nomination, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (53% to 16%), despite the fact (or because of it) that Trump faced criminal charges in a Federal Court in Washington D.C.

The charges: that he had conspired to overthrow the results of the 2020 election and attempted to ‘defraud’ Americans. The former president has pleaded not guilty.

Mr Trump has also faced other charges relating to the last US Presidential election (the first former US president to face criminal charges) including being indicted for alleged financial crimes and on charges that he improperly handled sensitive government documents from his time as President and subsequently obstructed an investigation into his conduct.

Has all of that high-powered legal gunfire sunk the indomitable battleship that is Donald Trump? Not a bit of it.

On the presidential campaign trail: Mr Trump visits Fulton County jail

Last Wednesday, Donald Trump didn’t even have to turn up to a televised debate between Republican candidates to seemingly win it in absentia. Mr Trump was unable to attend because of the slight matter that he was being “processed” in the Fulton County jail, Atlanta, resulting from charges that he had attempted to subvert the last US presidential election in the State of Georgia.

Did that legal broadside damage the good ship Trump? Well, again, not noticeably and it certainly didn’t damage his campaign financially, quite the contrary.

Another charge, another 7 Million dollars

Trump’s campaign says it has raised $7.1 million since the former president was processed last Thursday in the Georgia election subversion case.

In the past three weeks, following his indictment and arraignment in Washington D.C. and then his surrender and processing at the Fulton County jail in Georgia, the Trump campaign has raised nearly $20 million.

On just the day after his arrest in Georgia, Trump raised $4.18 million, the highest-grossing day of the entire campaign so far.

Campaigning to be president? Trump sells merchandise

Following Trump’s arrest, his campaign also immediately began selling merchandise displaying the former president’s “mug shot” taken at the Fulton County jail, the sales of which have contributed to the high fundraising totals.

The Guardian newspaper in the UK mused that Donald Trump might be a convict by the time of the next election but if so what are the odds that it will only boost his campaign?

Donald Trump November 2024 – the first man to win the US presidency from behind bars? Don’t bet against it!