Former US president Donald Trump’s campaign site crashes as flood of donations pour in after his conviction

Former US president Donald Trump’s campaign website crashed soon after he was convicted on 34 felony counts in a hush money criminal case by a New York Jury on May 30.

The overwhelming response from Trump’s supporters, who rushed to make donations for the former president after the conviction, crashed the website redirecting them to WinRed, the Republican Party's official fundraising site, which was under maintenance.

The 77-year-old was found guilty of  having falsified business records to conceal a USD 130,000 hush money payment to adult film star Stormy Daniels to influence the 2016 contest.

The grand jury consisting of 12 Manhattan jurors unanimously agreed to have found him guilty on 34 counts of falsifying business records.

In the trial that lasted for over six weeks, the court heard from 22 witnesses, including Daniels, whose alleged sexual encounter with the former president was at the centre of the case.

The verdict has come more than a year after a grand jury indicted Trump on March 30, 2023, marking the first time a former or sitting president faced criminal charges.

Despite the conviction, Trump’s supporters showed an unwavering loyalty towards him as they see him as a victim of rigged show trial. 

Trump is scheduled to be sentenced on July 11, just four days before the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where he is expected to be formally nominated as Republican party’s presidential candidate against incumbent Joe Biden.

The campaign site which was briefly redirected to a different donation processor was restored in about half an hour.

Trump, who faces a maximum sentence of four years in prison, is likely to appeal against it.  However, his incarceration would not prevent him from campaigning, or taking office if he wins the presidential election.

For now, Trump has been released without having to pay bail. The former president also faces three other criminal cases, including two of alleged election interference. The Republican has pleaded not guilty in all of the cases which do not have trial dates scheduled.