Guilty: Donald Trump says he raised nearly $53 million a day after his conviction

WASHINGTON - Former President Donald Trump and his aides are touting lucrative fundraising as proof his criminal court conviction will trigger a backlash and bolster his support among voters.

The Trump campaign announced late Friday it raised nearly $53 million in online donations in the 24 hours after a New York jury convicted him of falsifying business records in order to improperly influence the 2016 presidential election.

"This momentum is just getting started," senior Trump advisers Susie Wiles and Chris LaCivita said, in a statement.

They added: "Americans will render the real verdict November 5th."

The new money could Trump further close the financial advantage enjoyed by President Joe Biden and his campaign.

The campaigns, the voters, and the media are still trying to absorb the jury verdict.

In a complex case, jurors found Trump guilty of 34 counts of falsifying records of hush money payments to Stormy Daniels, seeking to prevent voters from learning about his encounter with the adult film actress.

Trump said he will appeal his conviction.

In the meantime, he and his campaign team are putting together a revamped schedule of events designed to argue that the trial was politically motivated.

Trump is scheduled for an interview to be broadcast Sunday on the Fox News program FOX & Friends Weekend.

Pollsters and political analysts with the Trump and Biden campaigns are poring over polling data, trying to figure out how the conviction will affect the fall election. Even small shifts in voter sentiment could well make the difference in closely contested states like Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

A Morning Consult poll published Saturday said 54% "strongly" or "somewhat" approved of the verdict, while 34% disapproved.

The poll conducted on Friday also said that 49% of Independents and 15% of Republicans said Trump should drop out of the race because of the conviction, although the former president has said he has no intention of doing that.

Overall, the Morning Consult poll had the race basically tied, with Biden ahead of Trump by 45%-44%, well within the margin of error.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll on Friday reported that 10% of Republican registered voters say they are less likely to vote for Trump following his felony conviction.

During a rambling news conference on Friday, Trump denounced the judge, the prosecutors, and the trial itself.

“If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone," the presumptive 2024 Republican White House nominee told reporters gathered at Trump Tower.

The Biden campaign described Trumps performance as "confused, desperate, and defeated."

Said Biden campaign Communications Director Michael Tyler: "Unhinged by his 2020 election loss and spiraling from his criminal convictions, Trump is consumed by his own thirst for revenge and retribution."