WASHINGTON - Donald Trump's campaign on March 20 called for donations from one million of his backers, warning he could lose his New York properties, two days after the former president failed to secure a bond to cover a US$454 million (S$600 million) judgment in his civil fraud case.

"KEEP YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF OF TRUMP TOWER!," reads a message to supporters from a joint fund-raising committee that allocates the money it collects to his campaign, and a separate political committee that has been paying Trump's legal bills.

The civil fraud case, brought by New York state Attorney-General Letitia James in September 2022, is one of several legal travails that Trump faces ahead of a Nov 5 election rematch against Democratic President Joe Biden.

The message, sent by text with prompts for supporters to donate in amounts ranging from US$20.24 to US$3,300 or a specific amount, accuses Ms James of wanting to seize Trump's properties and portrays her actions as part of a broader effort by Mr Biden and the Democrats to harm his reelection campaign.

"So before the day is over, I'm calling on ONE MILLION Pro-Trump patriots to chip in and say: STOP THE WITCH HUNT AGAINST PRESIDENT TRUMP!" the campaign message said.

Mr Biden has said he is not involved in any of the cases against Trump.

The Biden campaign declined to comment.

The fund-raising message links donors to the joint fund-raising committee that Trump typically asks supporters to contribute through. It alludes to Ms James' case, but it does not say that funds will be used for that purpose.

It is unclear if Trump could use the funds to pay for the judgment.

While federal law prohibits the use of campaign money for personal expenses, Trump has been able to use donor money to pay some of his lawyers’ fees, saying his legal defence is campaign-related.

On March 18, Trump's lawyers told an appellate court in New York that their client had been rejected by 30 surety companies for a bond to cover the massive civil fraud judgment, inching him closer to the possibility of having his properties seized.

Trump must either pay the sum out of his own pocket or post a bond to stave off the state's seizure while he appeals Justice Arthur Engoron's Feb 16 judgment against him for misstating property values to dupe lenders and insurers.

Earlier in March, Trump posted a US$91.6 million bond to cover an US$83.3 million defamation verdict for the writer E. Jean Carroll while he appeals, in a case that arose from his branding her a liar after she accused him of raping her decades ago.

He has denied wrongdoing in the litany of civil and criminal cases imperiling his real estate businesses and campaign. REUTERS