Big Donors, GOP Leaders Stand Firm Behind Trump After Conviction

Key Republican donors have rallied behind Donald Trump, pledging significant financial support for his election campaign, following his conviction in the hush money trial.

The donors who already pledged their support include casino billionaire Miriam Adelson, hotelier Robert Bigelow, former ambassador Don Tapia, and Silicon Valley tech investor Shaun Maguire, according to Reuters.

Trump on Thursday became the first former U.S. president ever convicted of a crime after a New York jury found him guilty on all charges in his hush money case, months before an election that could see him yet return to the White House.

But many GOP donors view the legal actions against Trump as "political persecution" aimed at weakening his chances in the 2024 election.

Bigelow, a top Trump supporter, has promised an additional $5 million donation, adding to the over $9 million he has already contributed. Tapia and his network plan to increase their donations from an anticipated $250,000 to over $1 million for the pro-Trump spending group MAGA Inc.

"We're going to go all-in for him," said Tapia.

Maguire announced on social media a $300,000 donation to support the former president's campaign.

Trump himself called the verdict a "disgrace."

"The real verdict is going to be November 5 by the people. And they know what happened here, and everybody knows what happened here," the former president said outside the Manhattan courtroom.

News of his conviction on 34 felony charges sent shock among GOP leaders and Republican candidates, who largely aligned themselves with Trump.

Republican leaders like House Speaker Mike Johnson and Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell slammed what they saw as the "weaponization of the justice system" and expressed confidence in Trump's appeal.

In a statement, McConnell said that the charges "never should have been brought in the first place," adding, "I expect the conviction to be overturned on appeal."

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise took to social media to slam the verdict, calling it "nothing more than an attempt to interfere with the 2024 election."

Meanwhile, President Joe Biden reacted to the verdict by writing on social media: "There's only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box."

The Biden campaign said in a statement that the verdict showed that "no one is above the law."

"The threat Trump poses to our democracy has never been greater. He is running an increasingly unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution," Biden campaign spokesperson Michael Tyler said.

"A second Trump term means chaos, ripping away Americans' freedoms and fomenting political violence – and the American people will reject it this November."