As Democrats prepare to bring to life allegations against President Trump with the first public impeachment hearings, Trump's reelection campaign is hoping to capitalize in a different way: by revving up the base and mining supporters for donations.
The Trump campaign plans to actively fundraise in the coming days as the impeachment inquiry enters a new phase, a senior Trump campaign official said, hoping the public proceedings, calls for impeachment and high-octane coverage will provide the same fundraising boon of other impeachment developments.
As the Trump campaign has previously highlighted, they raised $15 million in online donations in the three days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi formally announced the impeachment inquiry and $3 million when the House voted on party lines to establish the inquiry's rules. The Trump campaign is expecting more of the same in the coming days.
"The fact that it will be a media circus will definitely rev up the base," a senior Trump campaign official said. "They will see the Democrats attacking the President of the United States and therefore the guy that they voted for."
"It would be malpractice not to," the official said of fundraising off the impeachment hearings.
Of course, the Trump campaign won't just be fundraising. They'll also be looking to defend the President.
The campaign's "war room" will be engaged during the hearings with the same intensity of Democratic debate nights, the official said, looking to respond in real time to the testimony and poke holes in Democrats' case against Trump.
The campaign has also tested out impeachment messaging in numerous variations of digital ads on social media and this official said they expect that to continue in the coming days.