AFP / MANDEL NGAN
KEY POINTS
- Trump claimed his indictment stemmed from a ‘disgusting witch hunt’
- Trump expressed belief that the Democrats planned to destroy the movement of Republicans
- $4 million was raised for Trump’s campaign in the 24 hours after the indictment news
Hours after the historic indictment of former President Donald Trump, fundraising emails from his camp with anti-Semitic rhetoric were sent out to his supporters, a review showed.
Following the Manhattan grand jury’s decision, Trump sent several emails to his supporters. Some emails claimed that his indictment stemmed from a disgusting witch hunt by Democrats, while others used antisemitic tropes pinning Jews.
“They’re loaded with antisemitic language, some of which has been used in the past to validate violence against Jews,” Kurt Braddock, a public communication professor at American University, told USA Today.
“There’s no other way to describe it — he’s using anti-Jewish stereotypes and historical hatred to raise money.”
In one email, the 76-year-old Republican accused Democrats of spearheading the indictment and cheating countless times in the last decades.
“The Radical Left – the enemy of the hard-working men and women of this country – have INDICTED me in a disgusting witch hunt,” Trump said.
He stressed that Alvin Bragg, Manhattan’s elected district attorney, solely based his judgment on testimonies from a disbarred legal counsel and a convicted felon.
“Alvin Bragg, the Soros-funded District Attorney behind the indictment, relied on the testimony of a convicted felon and a disbarred lawyer,” he noted.
In another email, the former president said Bragg was a “George Soros’ bought-and-paid-for Manhattan D.A.”
Soros is a long-time supporter of Democrats and a popular target of antisemitic remarks.
Braddock noted that Trump’s attempt to present Soros as a “shadowy financier … feeds into anti-Semitic tropes related to Jews and money.”
A review also showed that Soros did not donate to Bragg’s campaign nor has he “met [or] spoken with” the D.A., a spokesman for Soros told USA Today.
On Thursday, a New York grand jury has voted to indict Trump over hush money payments allegedly made to porn star Stormy Daniels. The decision made him the first-ever serving or former president to face criminal charges.
Trump expressed belief that the Democrats have engaged in a witch hunt to destroy the movement of Republicans, noting that this has been their action when he was still U.S. president.
“Ever since I ran for president as a complete political outsider, the corrupt ruling class has tried to shut down our America First movement,” Trump said.
On March 31, Trump’s camp announced the campaign had raised $4 million in 24 hours since his indictment.
The statement claimed that 25% of the donations came from first-time donors.
“This incredible surge of grassroots contributions confirms that the American people see the indictment of President Trump as a disgraceful weaponization of our justice system by a Soros-funded prosecutor.”
Trump is set to speak in Florida on Tuesday evening after his expected court appearance in a New York City courthouse.
