Trump and RNC Launch Grassroots Voter Outreach Effort Citing ‘Rigged Biden Trial’

Former President Donald Trump speaks to media at Trump Tower, a day after he was found guilty on all 34 felony counts, in New York City on May 31, 2024. (Juliette Fairley/The Epoch Times)

The Trump presidential campaign and the Republican National Committee (RNC) have launched a grassroots voter outreach effort in battleground states, citing what they describe as a “rigged” trial in New York in which the former president was found guilty of felony offenses that Democrats have sought to capitalize on in their political messaging.

A jury found the former president guilty on May 30 in a case in which he was charged with 34 counts of falsifying business records in order to conceal non-disclosure payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels as part of a bid to influence the 2016 presidential election in which he was a candidate.

President Trump spoke to reporters outside the courtroom shortly after the jury delivered the guilty verdict, portraying his conviction as an attempt by his political foes to undermine his presidential comeback bid.

“Our whole country is being rigged right now,” the former president said. “This is done by the Biden administration in order to wound or hurt an opponent—a political opponent.”

The Biden-Harris campaign immediately began fundraising off President Trump’s conviction, telling supporters to donate as beating the former president at the ballot box is the only sure way to prevent him from re-taking the White House. 

“Despite a jury finding Donald Trump guilty today, there is still only one way to keep Donald Trump out of the Oval Office: At the ballot box,” the Biden campaign said in a text message to supporters on Thursday.

“Convicted felon or not, Trump will be the Republican nominee for president. But there is one other certainty—as you read this, Donald Trump’s supporters are fired up and likely setting fundraising records for his campaign,” the Biden campaign said. 

Indeed, backlash to the former president’s conviction was strong among supporters. Minutes after the jury returned the verdict, an avalanche of donations to the Trump presidential campaign caused the donation page to temporarily become unavailable. The following day, the Trump campaign announced a record one-day fundraising haul of nearly $35 million.

Seeking to build momentum, the Trump campaign and the RNC on Friday announced a new initiative dubbed “Trump Force 47” in the wake of what they said in a statement was a “rigged Biden trial.”

The initiative aims to engage highly-targeted voters in key battleground states through a “neighbor-to-neighbor” organizing model. This strategy builds on Trump’s successful early-state primary efforts and involves coordination with state and local Republican parties to ensure critical voter turnout for the November elections.

“Trump voters and Republicans are more motivated than ever to do their part to defend President Trump from Joe Biden and his band of corrupt liberals while supporting his mission to save our country from destruction,” Trump campaign advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a joint statement.

“We will continue capitalizing on the unprecedented momentum of our shared movement to ensure President Trump returns to the White House alongside House and Senate majorities,” they added.

Trump Force 47

The Trump campaign described the new initiative—which has its own website with the key message of making a “big impact with a small time commitment”—as a major grassroots voter outreach effort in key battleground states.

The effort aims to engage tens of thousands of volunteers in “neighbor-to-neighbor” organizing as the former president gears up for a rematch with President Biden in November.

Volunteers can become “Trump Force 47 Captains” or receive training as poll watchers, with coordination at the state, local, and precinct levels.

“For many years, Americans have been asking ‘What can I do to help President Trump?’ and the answer has not always been clear. Trump Force 47 ensures we can always answer that question and immediately get people substantively involved in helping us win,” RNC chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement.

The new initiative comes as election reporting service Decision Desk released its first forecast for the 2024 presidential election, putting the odds of a win by former President Donald Trump at 58 percent.

President Trump’s sentencing—set for July 11—will come just four days before the Republican National Convention where President Trump will be formally designated as the Republican presidential nominee.

His legal team has vowed to appeal the verdict, while House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said that the U.S. Supreme Court should get involved and overturn the conviction, arguing that the circumstances of the case have led to an erosion of public faith in America’s justice system.

While there are no laws barring President Trump from running for the White House as a convicted felon, an overturned verdict before Election Day would likely boost his chances of victory.