An online fundraiser has crushed its $1 million goal to help the families of bystanders shot during the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump at a Pennsylvania campaign rally.
The Trump-authorized appeal generated more than 53,000 in donations and raked in more than $4 million since being established shortly after Saturday's sniper attack, according to information posted on the GoFundMe website early Monday afternoon.
The gifts included $50,000 from the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank that organized the controversial Project 2025 manifesto intended to guide White House policy if Trump beats President Joe Biden in November.
Other $50,000 donations came from Trump supporters Kid Rock, Sen. Rick and Ann Scott and Ultimate Fighting Championship CEO Dana White.
The charity drive was launched by Meredith O'Rourke, a professional fundraiser who is the Trump campaign's national finance director, and GoFundMe said it's "been verified by our global Trust and Safety team."
Trump was shot through the right ear and rally attendee Corey Comperatore, 50, was killed while shielding his family from bullets at the Butler Farm Show grounds.
Two unidentified men in the crowd were also critically wounded by shooter Thomas Matthew Crooks, 20, who was fatally shot by the Secret Service.
In 2020, a GoFundMe appeal led by actor Leonardo DiCaprio and Laurene Powell Jobs, the widow of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, raised more than $44 million to help feed people during the COVID-19 pandemic.
At the time, GoFundMe said that effort was the largest in its history.
Additional reporting by Luke Funk
