Mary Scrantin
GoFundMe has replied to concerns raised after a page was set up to help Donald Trump pay for penalties after a court ruling required him to pay $355 million. Trump’s page is drawing widespread attention because it’s reportedly a “breach of the platform’s rules.”
With more concerns raised daily, a spokesperson from the platform has finally confirmed that the page was “within its terms and services” despite people voicing their concerns about it on social media. This was during an interview with Newsweek.
Trump’s Fraud Fiasco: $370M Damages Sought
Last Friday, Trump and top executives at the Trump Organization were ruled to have committed fraud by inflating the value of his assets. By doing so, he hoped to obtain more favorable terms from lenders and insurers.
The lawsuit was filed by New York Attorney General Letitia James. She initially sought $250 million in damages, but James increased what she sought to $370 million, plus interest.
Stand With Trump, Fund The $355M Unjust Judgment
New York State demands a 9% interest rate on the sum of damages and following the ruling, James said that with pre-judgment interest, the judgment will edge over $450 million. This amount “will continue to increase every single day” until the judgment is paid in full.
Following Engoron’s ruling, a GoFundMe page was made by Elena Cardone, the wife of real estate businessman Grant Cardone. The title reads “Stand with Trump; Fund the $355M Unjust Judgment”.
Trump Fundraiser Faces Twitter Backlash
The page has pooled donations of more than $600,000 from over 11,000 contributors as of the early hours of Tuesday, February 20. Sadly, this figure is far from what’s required.
On X, formerly Twitter, some folks have raised concerns that the page could be in breach of the platform’s rules about fundraising for those convicted of crimes. Thus, they have called for it to be shut down.
Gofundme Under Fire: Trump Fundraiser Criticized
One user, Ginny McDonald, wrote: “Hey @gofundme I think you have to shut this down. Trump can’t profit from his crime according to your guidelines.” Another user wrote: “Hey @gofundme, isn’t it against your rules to raise money for criminals?”
A third said: “Dear @gofundme, the Trump fundraiser violates your rules unless you will fund people CONVICTED of financial and violent crimes as Trump has been.”
An Expert’s View On The Subject
Another mentioned that Trump is violating the platform’s rules by accepting donations to repay himself for his defense. He also cited that GoFundMe does not allow campaigns for the legal defense of financial crimes. “Trump is violating your terms and any funds shouldn’t reach him,” he said.
As expected, experts have joined the conversation, expressing their concerns too. Former federal prosecutor Gene Rossi said: “The New York fraud trial opinion establishes one major theme. Trump World is a financial mirage perpetrated by a family of grifters and sycophant employees.”
Expert Warns: GoFundMe Could Face Legal Trouble
He added that The GoFundMe proposal is an “unsurprising offshoot”. In line with public opinion, he also said that it is against the platform’s strict rules and ‘likely to end up in court with a request for an injunction or other civil remedy.’ He rounded up by calling this “another Trump mess!”
He also aimed potential consequences at the GoFundMe platform. He mentioned that there may be criminal implications if the platform’s sponsors are aware that what they’re doing is itself a fraud and have permitted it.
GoFundMe Defends Trump Fundraiser Amid Scrutiny
Jalen Drummond, the platform’s director of public affairs finally responded to the issue. He told Newsweek: “This fundraiser is currently within our terms of service.”
With the response not exactly what a lot of people expected, it has garnered even more scrutiny. This has also been compounded by Drummond’s previous working relationship with Trump. Drummond served as The White House assistant press secretary during Trump’s administration.
Drummond’s Trump Affiliations
His LinkedIn profile reveals that he first served as an associate director at the Office of Communications at the White House. This was from November 2019 to August 2020. After Trump left office, he continued as the assistant White House press secretary from August 2020 to January 2021.
In 2022, The New York Times’s Maggie Haberman reported that he “was present at a meeting with Trump and staff” on January 5, 2021, the night before the Capitol riot. He was also asked to testify voluntarily before the House Select Committee investigating the attack.
GoFundMe To Profit From Trump Fundraiser
Per the platform’s T and Cs, GoFundMe collects a 2.9 percent transaction fee and 30 cents on each donation which means they stand to gain a fair sum from the large funds that a reputable figure like Trump will likely gather.
In an interview with Newsweek, Todd Landman, professor of political science at the School of Politics and International Relations, University of Nottingham in the U.K., pointed out that the judgments that led to the fundraising effort were in civil cases.
Campaign Within GoFundMe T and Cs
He mentioned that though Drummond’s previous affiliations with Trump ‘may raise questions as to impartiality’, the funding campaign remains within the platform’s terms and conditions. He added that it appeared the funds would go to Trump as an individual, not his business organization.
He also added, “I think it is important also to note that many charities have overheads. So when people donate, only a portion of what they donate flows through to the people in need. Charities are indeed non-profit in nature and GoFundMe is for profit but the use of some funds to pay for the service is the same.”
Trump Fires Back At Engoron
Meanwhile, in a Truth Social post on Friday, Trump allegedly called Engoron, the judge who ruled against him “crooked” and James “totally corrupt”. His lawyer Christopher Kise told Newsweek at the time that Trump has plans to appeal Engoron’s verdict in James’ “unjust political crusade against the front-running candidate for President of the United States.”
James has called the judge’s ruling “a massive victory” in a post on X on Friday. She wrote in a follow-post: “No matter how big, how rich, or how powerful you are, no one is above the law. Not even Donald Trump.”
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