The rioters charged in the Capitol insurrection gave more money to former president Donald Trump after his election loss than in the weeks before voting closed, according to a new analysis.
The former president immediately called on supporters for money after his election loss to fight baseless claims of election fraud, and an NBC News analysis of campaign filings found those charged in the Jan. 6 insurrection increased their political donations by about 75 percent compared to the five weeks before Nov. 3.
"I think, quite simply, it shows the effectiveness of Trump's messaging in the weeks leading up to the election and then how much his stolen election lie resonated with his base after the election," said Kurt Braddock, a public communication professor at American University and a fellow at the Polarization and Extremism Research and Innovation Lab. "Trump sold the idea to his followers that not only was the election stolen, but also that it was up to his constituents to help make things 'right.'"
About 90 of the 311 people charged so far in the Jan. 6 insurrection made political contributions, and the overwhelming majority of those were made to Trump or his aligned groups in the past year.
Many of those charged in the riot had made few or no donations in the previous years, but they escalated their contributions after Trump lost as part of the $207.5 million he raised in the first 19 days after his loss.
For example, James Uptmore made only one $250 donation to a Trump PAC between 2016 and the 2020 election, but the 63-year-old San Antonio man made five contributions to Trump and allied groups on Nov. 15, when the president tweeted that he would not concede, and four more when Trump tweeted about election fraud three days later.
The 63-year-old Uptmore gave four more times the next day, when Trump's attorneys held a news conference spreading baseless conspiracy theories.
He gave six more times on Dec. 18, when Trump challenged Republican senators to "fight" to overturn his election loss.
Uptmore made nearly 40 contributions to Trump, the Republican National Committee and related groups after Trump's election loss, and both he and his son Chance were among those charged with illegally storming into the Capitol during the deadly insurrection.
"Trump successfully convinced many of his followers that unless they acted, and acted fast, their very way of life was about to come to an end," said James Horgan, who runs the Violent Extremism Research Group at Georgia State University. "He presented a catastrophic scenario whereby if the election was — for him — lost, his followers would suffer as a result. He made action not just imperative, but urgent, convincing his followers that they needed to do everything they could now, rather than later, to prevent the 'enemy' from claiming victory."
