President Donald Trump's political action committee kicked a hornet's nest with a fundraising email that uses a solemn moment to rake in cash, according to a new report.
Never Surrender, Inc. sent an email promising "National Security Briefing Membership" complete with a photo from Saturday's dignified transfer honoring six fallen U.S. soldiers at Dover Air Force Base, CNN reported Friday evening. The email encouraged recipients to "claim your spot" and included donation links "in what it describes as an exclusive group receiving updates about national security threats."
"It promises that members will 'receive my private national security briefings, unfiltered updates on the threats facing America. The straight truth on border invasions, foreign adversaries, deep state sabotage, and every danger the fake news hides," according to the report.
The email features Trump saluting beside a flag-draped transfer case in an official White House photograph, blending patriotic imagery with aggressive fundraising language.
“I’m the strong commander who stares down tyrants, obliterates terrorists, and never backs down,” the fundraising email declares. “This is for patriots ready to stand with that kind of unbreakable strength. Not for the weak or the wavering.”
The donation page escalates the pressure: “I AM PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP. YOU’RE THE ONLY REASON WE SAVED AMERICA,” the page reads. “NOW I AM ASKING YOU TO CONSIDER MAKING A SMALL SUSTAINING CONTRIBUTION, SO WE CAN COMPLETE THE MAGA AGENDA! CAN I COUNT ON YOUR SUPPORT?”
The email sparked harsh backlash, with California Gov. Gavin Newsom's office calling it despicable.
"Donald Trump is fundraising off of dead soldiers. He is a deeply SICK and DISGUSTING MAN!" Newsom's office wrote on X.
Sen. Andy Kim (D-NJ) questioned whether donors' briefings would address foreign policy gaps.
"I hope the donors’ national security briefing doesn’t skip the ‘Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz’ section that Trump and Hegseth missed," wrote Kim.
Toronto Star columnist Bruce Arthur wrote on X, "I have long said he would eventually sell state secrets off the back of a truck, and I think this basically qualifies."
John Jackson, a former Republican and U.S. veteran of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, wrote on X, "Trump being the fraudster that he is, has now combined publishers clearing house fake checks with the accoutrements of the presidency."
Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) wrote on X, "Six more U.S. servicemembers died in Iran yesterday. But instead of honoring them, the President is profiting off their deaths. Whether it's neglecting to fly our flags half-mast or refusing to take off his baseball cap, Trump will always show us he does not value the lives of those in uniform. May the fallen rest in peace."
