Politico | Donald Trump relaunches his fundraising machine after months of quiet
- Former US president restarts email and text solicitations and opens new online store that includes ‘Don’t Blame Me – I Voted for Trump’ swag
- Fundraising part of Trump’s political ramp-up to stake out role in 2022 midterm elections, potential 2024 comeback
The screaming, all-caps texts and emails are returning. The red “Make America Great Again” hats are back in stock.
Former US president Donald Trump is reigniting his small-dollar fundraising operation for the first time since leaving the White House, part of his political ramp-up to stake out an outsize role in the 2022 midterm elections and expand his financial network ahead of a potential 2024 comeback bid.
Trump on Wednesday reopened his online merchandise store, which was shuttered following the January 6 Capitol insurrection, when Shopify, the e-commerce company that had been hosting the site, closed it down. The former president’s political operation also sent out text messages to supporters directing them to the store, which is promoting new items like “Don’t Blame Me I Voted for Trump” emblazoned bumper stickers, doormats and yard signs.
Trump’s email and text messaging machine – which blasted out thousands of fundraising appeals during the 2020 election – has been largely dormant since he left the White House. For weeks, the former president’s top political advisers, including Gary Coby and Brad Parscale, have been working behind the scenes to stand up his financial apparatus.