On Friday, writing for The Bulwark, Wisconsin news editor Bill Leuders published a sardonic piece, "My Friend, Donald Trump," compiling many of the tactics former President Donald Trump uses to guilt and entice supporters into giving money to his political organizations — the most prominent through-line of these tactics being to give people on his email list the impression that they are close confidantes of the former president, or buying their way into an exclusive club of elites favored by him.
"Donald Trump writes to me often, usually several times a day," wrote Leuders. "The president, as he calls himself — none of that 'former' business — wants me to know how much he values me as a 'trusted ally.' He is forever offering me exciting opportunities, like the chance for my name to be 'permanently engraved' on the 'Official 2022 Trump Donor Wall' in his office. All I need to do for this to happen is contribute $45 by midnight."
This is not limited to just the former president, noted Leuders. Other members of his family, especially Donald Trump Jr., use the same strategies to get people to click.
"The emails from Donald Jr. are often quite personal. 'He’s asking about you,' he confided to me recently. 'Can I tell my father you stepped up?' He added: 'My father wants to see an updated donor list first thing tomorrow morning. I want him to know that he has your support 100%.' I wonder how that conversation went," wrote Leuders. "Other emails have offered me opportunities to buy an ULTRAMAGA t-shirt, inspired by Joe Biden’s crack about the 'ultra-MAGA agenda,' or an 'Official Trump Gold Card,' which appears to be an actual plastic gold card with the donor’s name and 'member number' on it. (It is unclear if the gold cards will carry forward member numbers from last fall’s 'Official Trump Cards,' which were red.) All are available for just $45."
Other tactics, Leuders noted, include push polls like “Do you agree that far-Left Democrats, like the SQUAD, are a threat to America?” and “Do you agree RINOs [Republicans In Name Only] who betrayed President Trump must be voted out?” They've also offered "donor matches" as high as 1000 percent, "but only if I gave within an hour", and others promise access to a "SECRET video" the president recorded for his donors, that will delete itself if you don't give within 15 minutes.
And, he noted, all of this comes just as Republicans on the Federal Election Commission blocked any enforcement against the Trump campaign for allegedly laundering donor money through untraceable shell companies for unclear purposes. "Neither the president nor his son have said a word to me about any of this. Perhaps they addressed it in one of those secret video messages. But every day brings fresh opportunities," he concluded.
Some of the tactics Trump has used to raise money have raised eyebrows before. Earlier this year, the campaign promised one randomly picked donor an all-expenses-paid trip to New Orleans to have dinner with the former president, and then never picked a winner. And last year, the Trump campaign was forced to return $13 million to donors following revelations they deceptively tricked thousands of people into agreeing to a "recurring" donation that siphoned money out of their bank accounts without their knowledge.
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