Trump campaign raised $7 million since indictment, aide says

Former President Donald Trump's 2024 campaign raised $7 million in the days after his indictment in Manhattan, a top campaign aide said Monday.

Senior Trump aide Jason Miller announced the haul as the ex-president was en route to New York City ahead of his expected arrest and arraignment on Tuesday. Miller described the three-day sum as a "record" but offered no more details.

Last Thursday, a grand jury voted to indict Trump after hearing evidence in the Manhattan district attorney's investigation of a hush money payment made shortly before the 2016 election to a porn star who alleges she had an affair with Trump years ago.

The indictment, which has not been publicly revealed but will reportedly include about 30 counts related to document fraud, marks the first-ever criminal charges against a former president. Trump has repeatedly decried District Attorney Alvin Bragg's probe as a "witch hunt," and has attacked the DA himself in vitriolic terms.

Solicitations from the Trump campaign's joint fundraising committee have in recent weeks repeatedly referenced the possibility of criminal charges, seeking to spur donations from the former president's outraged supporters.

"If media leaks are correct, this could be the last time I write to you before a possible indictment comes down," Trump said in one message from the committee, Save America, days before the indictment last month.

After the grand jury's vote, Trump's campaign started running Facebook ads that seized on the development.

Numerous recent polls show Trump leading the potential Republican presidential primary field, which so far officially includes just him and a small handful of other candidates. His top potential rival, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, is expected to announce his presidential plans after his state's current legislative session ends next month.

A super PAC backing a DeSantis White House bid has raised $30 million since its launch less than a month ago, an official with the group told CNBC earlier Monday.

Follow CNBC.com's live coverage of former President Donald Trump's surrender and arraignment at the Manhattan criminal courthouse.