Donald Trump is reportedly urging his supporters to raise funds so that he can “get to heaven.” The president, however, is yet to clarify what that means.
The email went out on Aug. 23, where he urged his supporters to participate in something he termed a “24-HOUR TRUMP FUNDRAISING BLITZ.” The subject line read “I want to get to Heaven,” and while conventional wisdom would suggest that he was simply refuting recent reports about his health, he didn’t mention his health in the email at all. Instead, the email focused on the failed assassination attempt he experienced during the 2024 campaign trail.
According to People, the email partly read, “Last year, I came millimeters from death when that bullet pierced through my skin. My triumphant return to the White House was never supposed to happen!” It’s unclear how that has anything to do with a fundraising drive. But in the email, he’s apparently asking his supporters to send him $15 because he can’t answer his call of duty alone. There’s no clear communication about what the money is for.
Trump has already been the subject of lawsuits regarding how he used his campaign funds, so it’s probably legally advised for him to keep this latest fundraising drive as vague as possible. But what the “going to heaven” comment was referring to is most likely from an appearance he made on Fox News, where the president talked about his plan to save 7,000 Ukrainians every day. Trump said, “I’m hearing that I’m not doing well. I am really at the bottom of the totem pole, but if I can get to heaven, this will be one of the reasons.”
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt was asked during a press conference whether she believed Trump was joking, and she responded: “I think the president was serious. I think the president wants to get to heaven — as I hope we all do in this room as well.”
Trump has been fighting off health concerns for the past two weeks. His closest allies have been asking supporters to pray for him while simultaneously praising how “strong” he is. Other members of the Trump administration have been shaming people for speculating about his health in the first place. Incidentally, his base was front and center when it came to analyzing the health of Joe Biden. Matters were made only worse when VP J.D. Vance publicly acknowledged that he would be ready to take over the presidential seat if anything were to happen to Donald Trump.
Trump has various projects he’s overseeing — such as financing the construction of a ballroom on the White House lawn — so he certainly needs fundraising to be effective and to strengthen the projects he actually cares about during his presidency.
However, this does raise the question of how Trump sees his supporters. Reports of his health deteriorating, whether true or not, are just another way for him to tug at the heartstrings of MAGA members. And he clearly fully intends to benefit from that too.
