How Does Trump Raise Millions of Dollars as a Result of a Raid?

Al-Masry Al-Youm, Egypt, August 19

In 1976, the actor Mohamed Sobhi participated in the series Chance of a Lifetime and played the role of Ali Bey Mazhar; a character who dreams of quickly getting rich in devious and cunning ways. Of course, characters like Mazhar aren’t unique to Chance of a Lifetime; almost every famous television show around the world has some version of this character. And yet I don’t think we met a real-world Ali Bey Mazhar until we met former US President Donald Trump. Trump is the ultimate example of someone who can make millions from virtually anything. He makes Ali Bey Mazhar look like an amateur. Trump raised about $1 million a day in political donations after the search of his estate in Mar-a-Lago took place a few weeks back. Who can possibly pull off such a feat but Trump? Who, other than Trump, can turn a legitimate FBI search into an opportunity to make millions of dollars? The former US president did it by sending more than 100 emails to his supporters and asking for money to be donated. Of course, it’s ironic that Trump, whose time in office was characterized by a continuous undermining of democracy, claimed that the raid on his home was unruly and undemocratic. But his supporters didn’t care about the facts; they simply donated their money. Donations have been increasing for several more days and are still above average, and it is worth noting that Trump’s Political Action Committee raised about $50 million in a six-month period for the first time since Trump left office, according to data from the Federal Election Commission. Indeed, it may be this widespread support that pushes Trump to announce his presidential run in 2024 against Biden. I don’t know what the fate of the donation money would be if Trump decides, for example, to withdraw from the presidential race. In fact, it’s hard to know what the fate of the money would be even if he chooses to announce his candidacy. Does he use the money according to the rules and laws governing campaign funding? No one knows. But the idea that a person accused of pushing his supporters to storm the Capitol is managing millions of dollars raised by the public is concerning enough as it is. – Abd Al-Latif Al-Manawi (translated by Asaf Zilberfarb)