SAN FRANCISCO — Now that he’s no longer in court, Trump will hit the campaign trail — including a stop in San Francisco next week.
That June 6 fundraiser in a famously liberal city is being organized by two venture capitalists. The lowest price ticket is $50,000. A political expert says we can expect Trump to go on the offensive to raise money for his campaign.
A guilty verdict could have been a big win for Donald Trump’s wallet. Donations started pouring in to Trump’s “Win Red” website, causing it to crash. The Republican candidate for president is also giving his supporters the chance to win a signed MAGA hat in exchange for a donation.
“They believe this is red meat and dark drinks being thrown at their constituency,” said David McCuan, chair of political science at Sonoma State University. “I mean, this is right up their alley because they know it or they can raise money with it. They can build some momentum.”
McCuan believes the momentum will carry over to the fundraising event in California.
“California is the nation’s cash machine when it comes to politics,” he said.
While California leans left, McCuan says that’s not important.
“It’s not just a blue state. It’s a red state. It is a green money state. It is a dollar state,” he said. “Look, Elon Musk may be here and all over the world and may be intergalactic, but he and his friends give a lot of money.”
While cash is king in a presidential campaign, Donald Trump needs to win over a key segment of voters — especially in swing states like Pennsylvania, Michigan and Wisconsin. It is the undecided voters across the country that he must convince.
“They’re purple people, that’s what we call them,” McCuan said. “The purple people are a little blue, a little red. They don’t really know what to do. We know there is a part of the electorate that will not vote for a criminal.”
So while the money is pouring in for now, it’s too early to say how his conviction and possible sentence will affect fundraising in the long run.
“I think this gives you an idea of the strategy of Donald Trump and his team,” McCuan said. “They are going to use today’s verdict to open things up and commit the offence. They don’t sit at home and lick their wounds. They don’t just talk to the believers. They’re going to open the map and be everywhere at once and they’ll have the resources to do that.”
