The Sun
DONALD Trump has raised more than $100million as speculation grows that he’s plotting a return to the White House in 2024, reports say.
The former president, who has not publicly declared his candidacy, has been living at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida since losing last year’s election.
Trump, who is still a powerful figure within the Republican Party, has received donations – both large and small, according to the MailOnline.
The former POTUS’ reported $100m war chest dwarfs his nearest GOP challenger Tim Scott who has raised just $8m.
Wealthy donors are said to be backing his “audit” in Arizona – a battleground state that Joe Biden won narrowly in November’s presidential election.
Following his loss in November, the brash New Yorker falsely claimed that widespread election fraud had resulted in the contest being “stolen” from him.
The claims contributed to his supporters storming the Capitol Building in Washington DC on January 6 – in scenes widely condemned on both sides of the political divide.
In a recent statement, Trump said: “On behalf of the millions of men and women who share my outrage and want me to continue to fight for the truth, I am grateful for your support.”
Trump has had to change his approach as he remains banned from social media following the Capitol riots.
He recently unveiled a new Make America Great Again baseball cap that he claims he hand-designed himself.
The property developer revealed the updated version of his signature merchandise in a fundraising email issued through his Save America PAC.
The letters MAGA are emblazoned on the front of the cap and marks a departure from his traditional classic red hats.
Advertised on Trump’s website, the “hand-crafted” cap costs $40 and has already sold out.
His cheaper old hats are flying off the shelves too as they are also out-of-stock.
Between 2017 and May 2020, Trump’s campaign was reported to have spent upwards of $10.5m on merchandise, including hats, buttons, stickers, and rally signs, since his first bid for president.
In the build-up to the 2020 election, between March and April of last year, Trump generated a whopping $4m from direct merchandise sales alone.
Trump must find new ways to bolster his growing war chest as he’s banned from using Facebook until at least January 2023.
Last month, the former president said he is suing Facebook, Twitter, and Google as he called for an end to “un-American” cancel culture.
He accused tech bosses Mark Zuckerberg, Jack Dorsey, and Sundar Pichai of “destroying” America.
Trump received a permanent suspension from his favored social media platform Twitter earlier this year after the violence of the Capitol riot.
He also has a two-year suspension from Facebook and was hit with bans from Snapchat and YouTube, among others, this year.
The billionaire raged that he is being “censored” by the social media giants.
His suspension could remain in place throughout the 2024 campaign as Silicon Valley bosses warned officials could extend the ban if he still poses a “serious risk to public safety”.
Facebook spokesperson Nick Clegg told ABC News in June: “If we determine that there is still a serious risk to public safety, we will extend the restriction for a set period of time and continue to re-evaluate until that risk has receded.”
Clegg insisted Trump was banned over the January 6 carnage – and not for spreading false claims about the election.
The attack, which saw five people killed, was the worst on the Capitol for 200 years.
This story first appeared in The Sun
