NEW YORK– Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is using GoFundMe to rally his network of deep-pocketed donors and mainstream donors around the survivors of his presidency. Assassination attempt in July And The destruction of Hurricane Helenerejecting more traditional forms of emergency aid.
The two high-profile fundraisers – organized by the Republican candidate’s national finance director – raised more than $14 million. Legal experts say they do not violate campaign finance laws. The campaign is also not allowed to pocket any proceeds for its own political purposes; a spokesperson for GoFundMe told The Associated Press that the majority of Butler, Pa funds have been disbursed.
But the use of a crowdfunding platform marks an unorthodox response to crises from a political campaign. Never before has a major party’s presidential candidate turned to the for-profit corporation — which typically makes desperate appeals for help covering college tuition or medical bills — to mobilize their base for outside charitable causes.
“It’s quite unusual and actually quite strange,” said Brett Kappel, a longtime campaign finance attorney at Harmon Curran, who has advised both Republicans and Democrats.
It’s more common to see candidates contribute campaign funds to IRS-approved nonprofits during natural disasters, Kappel said. He pointed to Federal Election Commission documents showing that U.S. Sen. Tim Scott’s 2022 campaign was given to the American Red Cross after Hurricane Ian hit South Carolina.
Trump campaign spokesman Brian Hughes said the motivation came from “the president wanting to help find a way for his supporters to provide as much direct support as they can.”
The finance team only became involved because of their “great expertise in working with large accounts,” Hughes said, and “not a cent of this funding will go anywhere but to those affected.” Hughes said more than $6.5 million of the $7.7 million raised for organizations helping with Hurricane Helene recovery efforts had been disbursed as of Oct. 11.
“The president has a tremendous movement of supporters,” Hughes told AP. “As Butler’s experience generated millions of dollars in support, he saw the same opportunity to be a direct conduit for the philanthropic efforts of his supporters.”
Former Trump associates, conservative celebrities and right-wing groups gave tens of thousands of dollars. Bill Ackmanthe CEO of investment firm Pershing Square, which backed Trump shortly after the assassination attempt, donated $100,000 for hurricane relief. UFC President Dana White also threw in $100,000. Republican US Senator. Rick Scott said on X that he donated $50,000 of his congressional salary for the victims of Butler, Pennsylvania. Also the Heritage Foundation, the conservative think tank behind Project 2025.
GoFundMe collects a transaction fee of 2.9% plus 30 cents for each donation to cover credit and debit fees. His global confidence & According to a company spokesperson, the security team has been in close communication with organizer Meredith O’Rourke to ensure the safe distribution of donations from the Butler, Pennsylvania page. O’Rourke also provided a verified distribution plan, the GoFundMe spokesperson told AP, which the company routinely requires in cases where organizers withdraw money on behalf of other recipients.
It is not advisable for campaign finance officials to publish crowdfunding pages “while at the same time they are writing your money for your camp,” said Andrew Herman, a Washington attorney who specializes in campaign finance. Because online crowdfunding is less regulated, he said, it would have been “more palatable” to refer supporters to a recognized nonprofit.
“But people run into trouble when they try to attribute rationality or some degree of what we generally consider best financial practices to campaigns,” Herman said.
“There is no black-letter law that says they can’t do this,” he added. “Do they have to? Of course not.”
The majority of payouts in Pennsylvania were made earlier this month, and Hughes said more payouts will follow as long as the page remains active. The “vast majority” has gone to the families of the three people shot, he said. Some funds also reimbursed a local crane rental company after the owner said he had lost business when the subsequent police investigation failed to allow him to retrieve the equipment he had donated for the rally.
Money raised for Hurricane Helene victims went to four nonprofits. Samaritan’s Purse spokesperson Gabrielle Bouquet said the Christian humanitarian aid organization is grateful for Trump’s “steadfast support of the work we do in Jesus’ name.” Bouquet declined to share the exact amount of the donation.
Water Mission, a Christian tech nonprofit that builds safe water solutions in disaster areas, confirmed that the Charleston-based ministry had also received funding. PR director Gregg Dinino did not specify at all.
Mtn2Sea Ministries, which provides generators and supplies in the immediate aftermath of weather events, said on Facebook that it received $25,000 on Monday. The disaster relief group reported that the proceeds were used to purchase gift cards from businesses in South Georgia because “the best way to help those in need is to get resources directly into their hands.”
It makes sense that Trump’s team turned to crowdfunding, says Benjamin Soskis of the Urban Institute’s Center on Nonprofits and Philanthropy. The campaign “is often based on a suspicion of institutions,” he said, and GoFundMe “diverted some of its appeal by serving as an alternative to institutional charitable giving.”
But crowdfunding also comes with less responsibility, Soskis said. Crowdfunding pages do not have the same disclosure requirements as public charities that must disclose their finances in annual tax returns.
Soskis said Trump’s chaotic philanthropic ventures have likely led to increased scrutiny. A judge fined Trump $2 million in 2019 for using his since dissolved charity foundation to represent his interests.
“There is a combustible dynamic when you combine campaigning and charitable giving,” Soskis said. “The added dynamics of crowdfunding and Trump’s own history with philanthropy itself add even more fuel to that fire.”
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