Politics
The Contests, Clubs and Big Promises of Trump’s Fund-Raising Emails
Since former President Donald J. Trump announced his 2024 candidacy, his campaign has promoted dozens of contests for supporters to win signed merchandise or “V.I.P.” trips to meet Mr. Trump. It has offered adherents myriad “exclusive” opportunities to join clubs to give counsel to Mr. Trump, and it has repeatedly claimed that Mr. Trump is personally reviewing lists of small donors.
But most of the contests seem to have no winners, and the campaign did not confirm or provide evidence that the club members have had any opportunity to advise the former president or that Mr. Trump is paying any attention to small donor rosters.
The New York Times looked at some 7,400 emails sent by the Trump campaign since Mr. Trump entered the presidential race. About one-third of the messages dangled an incentive to entice recipients to make a small donation.
The Times also reviewed campaign emails from the Democratic candidate and former candidate: Vice President Kamala Harris and President Biden. Combined, they have sent just over 1,600 emails since Mr. Biden declared his candidacy in April 2023.
Ms. Harris, and before her Mr. Biden, have far outpaced Mr. Trump in fund-raising this cycle, including from small-dollar donors. About $454 million in donations under $200 has come into the Biden and Harris campaigns, more than double what the Trump campaign has made.
While one-quarter of the Biden-Harris messages offered donation incentives, there were far fewer options: nine contests, two memberships, chances to be listed on a wall of donors at Mr. Biden’s former campaign’s headquarters in Delaware, and about three dozen unique pieces of merchandise from the official campaign store.
Whether they are written by Mr. Trump himself or by members of his staff, as is likely the case, the tone of the emails is generally consistent with Mr. Trump’s manner in public appearances and on social media: both chummy and alarmist.
To be sure, emails using sensationalistic language, and even manipulative tactics, are not unique to the Trump campaign. A study published in the journal Big Data & Society of thousands of political emails sent during the 2020 election cycle found that — in order to nudge recipients to open emails — campaigns frequently use subject lines that include clickbait or give the impression that a message is a continuation of an ongoing conversation. The Trump campaign has used these techniques, sending emails about joining its “Deadline Donor List” with subject lines like “Alert: (1) New Message – Action Required” and “Confirm Payment Information.”
Mr. Trump’s campaign team may not be alone in some elements of its email strategy. But both in sheer number (about 75 emails per week, on average, throughout this campaign cycle) and in syntax, the former president’s campaign emails stand out. They swing wildly between doomsday tirades and deeply affectionate language — then, often, dangle a sweetener to donate.
A missive sent in May, for instance, ticked through a short list of Mr. Trump’s current grievances: “the ILLEGAL RAID on my beautiful Mar-a-Lago,” “the RIGGED BIDEN TRIALS forcing me off the campaign trail,” and “the RUTHLESS ATTEMPTS TO SILENCE MAGA & DESTROY AMERICA.”
But that was not all that was on Mr. Trump’s mind. “You are the reason I wake up every morning. I love you to the moon and back, and I really mean that,” he wrote. “So before the day is over, I want to see your name as a member of the first ever TRUMP DIAMOND CLUB.”
Enter to Win (Maybe)!
Sweepstakes are a near-constant fixture of Mr. Trump’s campaign email corpus. In the 673 days of Mr. Trump’s current candidacy covered by The Times’s analysis, his campaign ran at least one active contest — and sometimes several simultaneously — for 446 of them.
Most of the Trump campaign’s contests have promised once-in-a-lifetime experiences: V.I.P. trips to Mr. Trump’s private resorts, campaign rallies and fund-raising receptions. Contest prizes have included round-trip airfare, hotel accommodations, and a photo with Mr. Trump for the winner and a guest, with approximate retail values running up to $24,000.
A smaller handful of sweepstakes have offered memorabilia like signed MAGA hats, autographed footballs and even the American flag displayed on stage during Mr. Trump’s speech at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference.
In all, the combined approximate retail value of the contest prizes offered by the Trump campaign since Mr. Trump announced his candidacy totals more than $180,000.
The Times could not verify that a vast majority of that value has made its way to Mr. Trump’s supporters. Similar questions have arisen about contests Mr. Trump’s campaign and political action committee have run in years past.
The Times sent the campaign a detailed list of every contest it had promoted in fund-raising emails from Nov. 15, 2022, to Sept. 16, 2024, and asked the campaign to confirm that each contest had a winner and to provide the names of the winners. The Times also asked the campaign to provide photos of the winners with Mr. Trump in cases in which a photo was part of the prize, and a link to a “personalized” Christmas message from Mr. Trump offered as a prize in December 2022.
The campaign did not confirm that each contest had a winner. It also did not provide winners’ names, photos or a link to the Christmas video.
In several emails to subscribers since late August, the campaign has included two photos it said were of contest winners: a man named William McGuffin and his son, as well as another pair whose names the campaign did not provide. A Times review of local news and social media sources did not find winners for any of the other 39 contests.
The campaign provided two statements: one by Mr. McGuffin and one by a campaign adviser. Mr. McGuffin said that he and his son went to their “first and only political rally” on May 1, and then received a call on May 3 saying he had won a trip to Formula One’s Miami Grand Prix for a “private meet and greet” with Mr. Trump. Mr. McGuffin confirmed in a phone call with The Times that he and his son had met Mr. Trump.
In addition to asking the campaign about contest winners, The Times reviewed local news and social media posts for evidence of winners beyond Mr. McGuffin and did not find any additional winners. It remains possible that each of these more than 40 contests had a winner. But if they did not, the Trump campaign may have crossed a legal line.
Contests like the ones both campaigns have run are legally considered sweepstakes, which are a regulated category. Federal Election Commission regulations allow political committees to run sweepstakes, but do not specify the rules under which they are run. In the absence of such rules, sweepstakes regulations from federal and state regulators should apply, according to campaign legal experts.
“Sweepstakes rules should be crystal clear about whether a sponsor will award all prizes or whether a sponsor will choose alternate winners if the original potential winners are disqualified,” Kyle-Beth Hilfer, an advertising and marketing law attorney in New York, said in an email. “Any ambiguity could lead to a legal challenge from an entrant or even a regulator.”
The Harris campaign provided The Times with the names of winners for six of its nine contests. The remaining three are still ongoing or the campaign is working out timing with the winners, it said.
Exclusive Promises of Access
Supporters who sign up for Trump campaign emails can feel like they are just a click away from being in Mr. Trump’s inner circle.
An email sent soon after Mr. Trump announced his candidacy, and signed “Trump Fundraising Director,” dialed up the urgency — and the personal appeal, suggesting Mr. Trump had repeatedly asked about the email’s recipient. “We are all counting on you,” it said. “We expect to hear from him any minute, so you MUST HURRY. We know he is going to ask about you. AGAIN.”
“I am honored to invite you to become an Official Trump Campaign Cabinet Member,” the former president wrote in dozens of emails from Dec. 9, 2022, to Jan. 24, 2023. “I am only inviting a very small and select group of Patriots to join me.”
The so-called Cabinet would provide Trump and his team with “valuable insight and advice as we make some of the most important decisions leading up to the 2024 Presidential Election and BEYOND,” he added.
“Do you need a job?” Mr. Trump asked in the subject line of an offer to join his “Official Advisory Board.”
“I’m opening up a few spots on my team, and one of them is reserved just for you,” Mr. Trump said.
The Times counted at least 19 different memberships, as well as dozens of promises that Mr. Trump would review names on donor lists — promises meant to encourage email recipients to donate.
The campaign did not respond to questions about the mechanisms by which any members of these groups provide advice to Mr. Trump, whether the members have ever met in person or virtually (with or without Mr. Trump), how Mr. Trump “personally” selects the people invited to join and how many people have joined. It also did not confirm or provide evidence that Mr. Trump is personally reviewing lists of small donors.
The campaign has also promised to make at least one donor list tangible in a way that must surely be a first in presidential campaign history: Emails sent from June 12 to July 11 offered donors the chance to have their names engraved onto the tail of “Trump Force Two,” the private plane Mr. Trump reserved for his running mate’s use. Dozens had been added by late July.
Platinum Cards and Christmas Sweaters
Emails from Mr. Trump have also offered more than 100 physical items as donation incentives. The campaign has furnished the hats, shirts and mugs that have long been campaign-finance mainstays — but with an unmistakable Trumpian twist. (The MAGA hat alone has proved a canvas for abundant variation; at least 30 different colors and styles have been offered.)
The campaign has also ventured into new corners of the branded-merch universe.
The American Express Black Card, for instance, is famously available by invitation only — but the Trump Black Card can grace the wallet of any donor willing to part with $75 per month to join the “Trump Elite Membership Program.” The Black Card is among at least five physical membership cards the campaign has offered; others include platinum and gold varieties, plus “Campaign Membership” and “Trump Freedom” options.
Mr. Trump’s emails have also offered a “Personalized Trump 2024 Doormat,” an “Official Trump MAGA Cooler,” “Exclusive Trump Christmas Stockings,” “Official Trump Golf Balls” and more.
The campaign quickly churns out new items of merchandise after Mr. Trump makes news. An “I Stand with President Trump” T-shirt was available within a day of Mr. Trump being indicted by a grand jury for falsifying business records related to the reimbursement of hush money paid to cover up a sex scandal.
Email offers for T-shirts and mugs with Mr. Trump’s mug shot and the words “NEVER SURRENDER!” appeared shortly after Mr. Trump was booked on charges that he attempted to overturn the 2020 presidential election.
By December 2023, supporters could receive “Limited-Edition Mugshot Christmas Sweaters for FREE!” (with a campaign contribution of $50 or more).
More recently, Mr. Biden’s decision to drop out of the race and Ms. Harris’s ascension to the Democratic nomination has rendered moot some of Mr. Trump’s merchandise offerings. A number of items had been produced earlier in the race specifically to poke fun at Mr. Biden, including “Evict Biden” and “Crooked Joe” T-shirts and “Let’s Go Brandon” gift-wrapping paper, a reference to a meme involving an expletive and the president’s name.
Although the Trump campaign’s emails have frequently referred in negative, even pejorative, terms to Ms. Harris since she became the nominee, they have not yet offered any merchandise specifically poking fun at her.
From Sentimental to Surreptitious
In response to questions from The Times about the offers the Trump campaign includes in its emails, the campaign responded with a statement from a senior adviser, Brian Hughes. “President Trump and our campaign have a strong and effective fund-raising operation that includes digital platforms,” he wrote. “President Trump’s movement to save our nation inspires hardworking men and women from all over America to play a financial role in our campaign and MAGA movement.”
To encourage those donations, Mr. Trump’s email strategy alternates between scaremongering and statements of devotion to the reader that are sometimes startlingly personal, including frequent declarations of love.
At times, it has even appeared to include reverse psychology. Mr. Trump’s emails depend so heavily on a perception of intimacy that he sometimes asks his supporters not to spread the word — a highly unusual move for a political candidate.
“Please do NOT share this email,” Mr. Trump warned in an offer to accept an “EXTREMELY RARE” invitation for “PRIORITY ACCESS TO BECOME A 2023 ULTRA MAGA MEMBER” before it supposedly expired at midnight.
The campaign sent the same offer at least nine more times over the following two weeks.
All the offers found in Trump campaign emails
Club
President’s Trust membership
113 emails from Feb. 22, 2023, to Feb. 16, 2024 ›
Club
Trump Advisory Board membership
95 emails from April 3 to Sept. 15, 2024 ›
Mug
“Never Surrender!” Trump mugshot mug
85 emails from Aug. 29 to Dec. 19, 2023 ›
Trip
Trip to Mar-a-Lago (started Dec. 2023)
76 emails from Dec. 18, 2023, to Feb. 5, 2024 ›
Card
Official Trump Gold Card
72 emails from Dec. 8, 2022, to Nov. 21, 2023 ›
All the offers found in Biden and Harris campaign emails
Trip
Trip to star-studded Hollywood fund-raiser
50 emails from May 13 to June 14, 2024 ›
Club
Founding Donor membership
37 emails from April 30 to June 30, 2023 ›
Trip
Trip to Meet Joe Biden and Barack Obama
36 emails from Aug. 4 to Sept. 15, 2023 ›
Assorted
Biden-Harris merch
33 emails from Nov. 26, 2023, to July 21, 2024 ›
Card
Founding Donor membership card
23 emails from April 28 to July 6, 2023 ›
Politics
VP Harris covers mouth, says ‘it’s a live broadcast’ after stumbling through Hurricane Milton speech
Vice President Harris, during a Hurricane Milton update from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Wednesday, covered her mouth and appeared to tell staff she was on a live broadcast after stumbling through a speech to the people of Florida.
President Biden and Harris received a briefing from disaster relief authorities on life-saving preparations for Hurricane Milton. The two also received the latest updates on the forecast and expected impacts for Florida.
While Biden attended the meeting from the White House, Harris and others attended virtually.
At one point during the briefing, Harris covered her mouth and appeared to relay a message to someone else.
FLORIDA TROOPER RESCUES DOG TIED TO POLE IN PUDDLE AS MILTON HEADS TOWARD STATE, DESANTIS CALLS OWNER ‘CRUEL’
“It’s a live broadcast,” she could be heard saying.
The moment came nearly 20 minutes after Harris stumbled through a speech to Floridians. She glanced down multiple times, appearing to reference notes or a script.
“To the people of Florida, and in particular, the people of the Tampa region: We urge you to take this storm seriously,” she said. “As has been said before, this is a storm that is expected to be of historic proportions. And many of you, I know are tough… and you’ve ridden out these hurricanes before. This one’s going to be different.
HURRICANE MILTON EVACUATIONS IN FLORIDA: WHAT TO PACK AHEAD OF THE STORM
“We ask you that by every measure understand it’s going to be more dangerous, more deadly and more catastrophic. So please listen to your local officials,” Harris added. “They know what they’re talking about. They know what they’re doing. And if you are told to evacuate, please evacuate immediately. Do not wait until it is too late.”
Fox News Digital reached out to Harris’ office for comment on the incident, but has not yet heard back.
Hurricane Milton reached Category 5 storm strength multiple times over the course of the last two days, and made landfall as a Category 3 storm Wednesday night in the Tampa, Florida area.
Forecasters warn that Milton could produce devastating storm surges up to 12 to 13 feet.
Politics
Podcasts, ‘The View’ and Howard Stern: How Harris and Trump are 'microtargeting' voters
The viewers of “The View” talk show and the listeners of Howard Stern’s satellite radio program couldn’t be more different: older women who watch daytime television for the former versus young and middle-aged white men who have long constituted the fervent followers of the once-raunchy stylings of the latter.
Yet within the span of a couple of hours Tuesday, Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris traveled between their studios in Manhattan to sit down for lengthy interviews, an odd juxtaposition of a television show initially viewed as a ladies-who-lunch klatch and a radio host who became famous because of pornographic, misogynistic and at times racist diatribes that led to millions of dollars in indecency fines from the federal government.
Historically, serious political candidates would never have appeared on either; President Obama was mocked by fellow Democrats for being the first sitting president to sit for an interview on “The View.”
But both programs, which have millions of followers, have evolved: “The View” is one of the most popular stops for presidential candidates of both parties, and Stern has transformed into a therapy-touting, inquisitive interviewer. And both represent a bipartisan strategy as candidates of both parties including former President Trump court voters through the exponentially growing network of broadcast, radio, podcast and social media venues where voters who aren’t MSNBC or Fox News junkies get their news.
Bill Burton, a national spokesperson for Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign who worked on his communications team during his first term in the White House, said “the landscape has completely changed” since he started working in politics a quarter-century ago.
“Once the most obvious ways to communicate with voters was through political reporters,” he said. “That has shifted to getting a better understanding of who voters are, where they’re getting their information and communicating with them where they’re getting their information.”
The heightened focus on nontraditional media is the latest iteration of microtargeting, efforts by campaigns to reach specific blocs of voters. One of the most effective efforts occurred during President George W. Bush’s 2004 reelection campaign when strategists used consumer data, such as which magazines voters received or the cars they bought, to surgically target Republican voters in Democratic precincts in states such as Ohio.
“Campaigns are no longer a top-down approach to messaging. Oftentimes, it’s a very customized bottom-up approach,” said Kevin Madden, a GOP strategist who worked on Bush’s 2004 reelection bid as well as Mitt Romney’s 2008 and 2012 campaigns. “Before 2004, campaigns had 30-second ads targeted at the general population of people watching the news at 6:30 and across cable news. Now … you have this almost omnipresent approach communicating through all these channels based on what you know about their issues and what you know about peer sets.”
Recalling those efforts two decades ago, Madden said: “If you drive a truck and drink Budweiser, you’re one of our voters. If you drive a Grand Cherokee and drink Heineken, you may be a swing voters. Based on consumer habits, we know where to target you with some of our messaging, whether it’s peer-to-peer communication or through Field & Stream magazine.”
“Now, it’s morphed into a more comprehensive understanding of electorate,” said Madden, now a senior partner at a Washington-based global strategic communications group. “A couple cycles ago, it was sort of like painting by numbers. Now, it’s like pixilated digital images, and we just get more and more understanding of the electorate and mood shifts and what motivates them.”
Trump has also appeared on nontraditional forums, such as the podcasts of the Nelk Boys and professional wrestler Logan Paul, both popular with young men. On Tuesday, the former president said on Ben Shapiro’s controversial podcast that President Biden and Harris ought to be removed from office through the 25th Amendment, which addresses the transfer of presidential power in cases of disability, resignation or removal from office or death.
Harris has also spoken to eyebrow-raising hosts, such as Alex Cooper of “Call Her Daddy,” an explicit podcast that boasts millions of listeners and is reminiscent of the early days of Stern’s radio show because of its frank sexual banter.
On Tuesday, Harris’ questioners on “The View” were friendly. The two Republicans sitting around the coffee table on set were notable Trump critics: Florida strategist Ana Navarro and former Trump White House aide Alyssa Farah Griffin. Harris used the appearance to roll out a proposal to offer long-term-care assistance for seniors through Medicare as she addressed the needs of the “sandwich” generation, people who are taking care of aging parents and children.
“There are so many people in our country who are right in the middle, taking care of their kids, and they’re taking care of their aging parents. And it’s just, almost, impossible to do it all, especially if they work,” Harris said, recalling her experience caring for her mother after she was diagnosed with cancer. “We’re finding that so many are then having to leave their job, which means losing a source of income, not to mention the emotional stress. And so what I am proposing is that basically what we will do is allow Medicare to cover in-home healthcare.”
But Republicans quickly focused on an answer about what she would have done differently than Biden during their time leading the nation — a tricky line Harris had to walk as she is loyal to the current president while also arguing she is a change candidate.
“There is not a thing that comes to mind … and I’ve been part of most of the decisions that have had impact,” Harris said, later adding that she would include a Republican in her Cabinet.
Trump; his running mate, Ohio Sen. JD Vance; and other Republicans seized upon the remark.
“President Trump breaks the internet on X Spaces with Elon Musk, attends UFC fights and football games to roaring crowds, and opens up on personal topics like his family’s struggle with addiction on podcasts like Theo Von,” Anna Kelly, a spokesperson for the Republican National Committee, said in a statement. “In contrast, Kamala Harris doubles down on the past four years of failure, from the disastrous Afghanistan withdrawal to crushing inflation and record high prices for rent, groceries, and gas.
“The contrast is clear: while President Trump continues to build the largest, most diverse coalition in history, Kamala Harris wants four more years of the same weak, failed Biden-Harris agenda — and Americans will reject the tired politics of the past when they vote for President Trump in November,” Kelly said.
Shortly after her appearance on “The View,” Harris did an interview that lasted more than an hour with Stern, who initially was famous for having lascivious discussions on the airwaves, releasing “Butt Bongo Fiesta,” a $10-million-grossing home video featuring him spanking young women’s bare bottoms in time with music, and many other instances of offensive content, including using the N-word.
He dabbled in politics, flirting with running for governor of New York before being required to release his income. He had a New Jersey highway rest stop named after him after endorsing successful GOP gubernatorial candidate Christine Todd Whitman.
As Stern has aged, he has evolved. Although he had a long-term relationship with Trump — they attended each other’s weddings — Stern said it disintegrated after he refused to introduce Trump at the 2016 Republican National Convention because he was backing Hillary Clinton.
His interview of Harris was fawning. Stern urged his supporters to vote for her or, if they supported Trump, to not vote all together. They both repeated familiar talking points about the perils they believe the former president poses to democracy and the world.
Although Harris hit many of the same notes as prior interviews, such as speaking about eating an entire bag of nacho cheese Doritos — “family size” — the night Trump won the 2016 presidential election, she also spoke about her love of Formula One racing and surprising her husband with tickets to see U2 at the Sphere in Las Vegas.
“Oh my God, have you been to the Sphere?” she asked Stern. “Everyone should go in with a clear head.”
Stern responded, “Basically, don’t be high?”
“Correct,” the vice president said. “It’s a lot. There’s a lot of visual stimulation.”
Politics
Afghan national charged with Election Day terror plot reignites vetting concerns: ‘Glaring alarms’
The arrest of an Afghan national now accused of plotting an Election Day terror attack on behalf of ISIS, and who entered the United States shortly after the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, is reigniting long-standing questions and concerns from Republicans about the vetting of those who came to the U.S. at that time.
Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi is said to have obtained firearms and ammunition to conduct a violent attack on U.S. soil and took steps to prepare for the plot. Tawhedi, who was arrested on Monday, is charged with conspiring and attempting to provide material support to ISIS and receiving a firearm to be used to commit a felony or a federal crime of terrorism. Authorities say he liquidated his family’s assets to finance his plan, including purchasing rifles and one-way tickets for his wife and child back to Afghanistan.
“This defendant, motivated by ISIS, allegedly conspired to commit a violent attack, on election day, here on our homeland,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in a statement. “I am proud of the men and women of the FBI who uncovered and stopped the plot before anyone was harmed. Terrorism is still the FBI’s number one priority, and we will use every resource to protect the American people.”
AFGHAN MAN IN OKLAHOMA PLOTTED ELECTION DAY TERROR ATTACK IN US ON BEHALF OF ISIS, JUSTICE DEPT SAYS
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