Shameless Donald Trump is using his indictment as a rallying cry to draw donations by angering his 'Make America Great Again' supporters base and profit off his criminal charges.
In an email to supporters almost immediately after the news of his historic indictment broke, billionaire Trump began fundraising for his presidential campaign.
A Manhattan grand jury indicted Trump on Thursday, but the exact charges have not been released as of yet. Sources have claimed that he faces more than 30 counts related to business fraud.
He will be taken through the typical practice of being mugshot and fingerprinted but the constitution does not bar him from running for US President in 2024, even if he is convicted.
Amid a devastating cost of living crisis, Trump’s fortune currently surpasses $3.2 (£2.6) billion, according to the most recent estimation Forbes published in September 2022.
This includes numerous real estate assets in New York worth around $880 (£711) million and another $290 (£234) million in real estate assets outside that state.
He also owns multiple golf clubs and resorts valued at around $740 (£600) million, as well as around $550 (£444) million in cash and other personal assets.
Recently he was also let back on social media, with his personal accounts on most major platforms including Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook, reinstated, allowing him to run advertisements.
The indictment comes after an investigation into alleged payments made during his 2016 presidential campaign to silence claims of extramarital sexual encounters with porn stars, including Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal.
Trump also faces the possibility of additional charges soon in Atlanta and Washington, as part of numerous other ongoing investigations.
He is expected to appear before the court on Tuesday next week, after being indicted with more than 30 counts related to business fraud by a Manhattan grand jury, CNN reported, quoting two sources familiar with the case.
But the actual arrest could be delayed or obstructed, as Florida governor Ron DeSantis has said that, "Florida will not assist in an extradition request given the questionable circumstances at issue with this Soros-backed Manhattan prosecutor and his political agenda."
This is the first time in American history that a current or former president has faced criminal charges, but it is not expected to stop Trump from carrying on his presidential campaign.
If anything, it could boost his performance at next year's elections, as he will use the prosecution in his communication strategy, experts have claimed.
"It’s simultaneously embarrassing, but also makes him something of a martyr," Saikrishna Prakash, a distinguished constitutional law professor at the University of Virginia Law School told TIME.
A mugshot of Trump could even become his campaign poster, Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor, said on Newsmax, confirming: "He will be mugshot and fingerprinted. There’s really no way around that."
Under the US constitution, all natural-born citizens who are at least 35-years-old and have been a resident of the US for 14 years can run for president.
There is no legal impediment to Trump continuing his presidential campaign while facing criminal charges—even if he were jailed, legal experts say.
Richard Hasen, an election law professor at UCLA Law School explained: "There is no constitutional bar on a felon running for office."
He added: "And given that the US Constitution sets presidential qualifications, it is not clear that states could add to them, such as by barring felons from running for office."
However, any New York defendant, poor or powerful, answering criminal charges means being fingerprinted and photographed, fielding basic questions such as name and birthdate, and getting arraigned.
Defendants are typically detained for at least several hours, even though the historic indictment of Trump thrust the legal system into uncharted territory.
