Donald Trump GoFundMe skyrockets as gold sneakers sell out

Palm Beach, Florida - As former President Donald Trump continues to struggle with his mounting legal woes amid his run for re-election, his MAGA base has stepped up to help relieve some of his financial stresses.

Former President Donald Trump is facing millions of dollars in legal fees and judgments, but his MAGA base has stepped up to help foot the bill.
Former President Donald Trump is facing millions of dollars in legal fees and judgments, but his MAGA base has stepped up to help foot the bill.  © Collage: IMAGO / Pond5 Images & ALMOND NGAN / AFP

Last week, the judge overseeing his civil fraud trial in New York ordered Trump to pay nearly $355 million in damages on fraud charges, which will total closer to $400 million after interest.

That ruling came after a judge in a separate trial ordered Trump to pay $83.3 million to writer E. Jean Carroll on defamation charges, on top of the $5 million he already owed her from a previous lawsuit.

To say that Trump's legal fees are already massive would be an understatement, and he is only at the beginning of his long list of legal battles, as he still has 91 charges spanning four criminal indictments to face.

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As Trump regularly laments over his troubles on his Truth Social platform, his MAGA base has taken notice that their leader is in peril and has joined forces to do something about it.

In the wake of the fraud ruling, Elena Cardone of Miami, the wife of billionaire Grant Cardone, launched a GoFundMe titled "Stand with Trump; Fund the $355M Unjust Judgment."

While the effort, which is said to violate GoFundMe's terms and conditions, may invite chuckles and snide remarks from some critics, after only a week, it has managed to rake in $952,930. Though that's only 0.002% of its $355 million goal, it is an impressive display of how far his MAGA base is willing to go to help get Trump back in the White House.

The effort has even gotten a helping hand from Fox News, which has been promoting the fund in support of Trump, who they describe as the trial's only "victim."

Donald Trump wins big with gold shoes, but controversy continues

Donald Trump introducing a new line of signature shoes at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 17, 2024.
Donald Trump introducing a new line of signature shoes at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 17, 2024.  © Chip Somodevilla / GETTY IMAGES NORTH AMERICA / Getty Images via AFP

MAGA fans aren't the only ones shook by Trump's mounting financial expenses, as the former president has launched his own desperate attempts both defer his court payments and raise more cash.

Following the fraud ruling, he made an unexpected appearance at Sneaker Con in Philadelphia over the weekend, where he introduced his new shoe line, including gold "Never Surrender High-Tops" he is selling for a whopping $399.

Surprisingly, the gold kicks sold out hours after their launch, and in predictable sycophantic fashion, Fox News sang Trump's praises over the stunt – and managed to make it racist.

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During Sunday's episode of the Big Weekend Show, Raymond Arroyo argued that Trump's shoes have struck such a chord with Black voters that they are "eroding" from supporting President Joe Biden, who is also seeking re-election.

"This is connecting with Black America because they love sneakers!" Arroyo claimed. "They’re into sneakers… this is a big deal, certainly in the inner city. So when you have Trump roll out his sneaker line, they're like, 'Wait a minute, this is cool!'"

He even went on to argue that no one understands Black people quite like Trump.

"He's reaching them on a level that defies and is above politics," the pundit added. "The culture always trumps politics, and Trump understands culture like no politician I've ever seen."

If Trump wants to win over Black voters, he'll have to try harder than a pair of gold kicks, as Biden scored 92% of the Black vote during the 2020 elections.

Cover photo: Collage: IMAGO / Pond5 Images & ALMOND NGAN / AFP

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