GoFundMe Responds to Calls To Shut Down Donald Trump Fundraiser
Former U.S. President and current GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trump arrives to address the press at Mar-a-Lago on February 16, 2024, in West Palm Beach, Florida. A GoFundMe page was set up to pay for Trump’s fine following his civil fraud judgement.
GoFundMe has responded to concerns a page set up after Donald Trump was fined in his civil fraud judgment is in breach of the platform’s rules.
Speaking to Newsweek, a spokesperson from the platform confirmed that the page, which was set up for the former president on Friday, following Judge Arthur Engoron’s ruling that Trump will have to pay roughly $355 million in penalties for fraud, was “within its terms and services” despite people voicing their concerns about it on social media.
On Friday, it was ruled that Trump and top executives at The Trump Organization committed fraud by inflating the value of his assets to obtain more favorable terms from lenders and insurers.
The lawsuit, brought by New York Attorney General Letitia James, initially sought $250 million in damages, but James increased what she sought to $370 million, plus interest. New York State mandates a 9 percent interest rate on the sum of damages and following the ruling, James said that with pre-judgment interest, the judgment totals over $450 million, an amount “which will continue to increase every single day” until the judgment is paid.
Elena Cardone, the wife of real estate businessman Grant Cardone, made the GoFundMe page titled, “Stand with Trump; Fund the $355M Unjust Judgment” following Engoron’s ruling.
Since it started, it has brought in around $414,000 of donations at the time of writing on the morning of February 19.
But writing on X, formerly Twitter, some raised concerns that the page could be in breach of the platform’s rules about fundraising for those convicted for crimes, and called for it to be shut down.
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.”
Another said: “If true, Trump is violating your rules by accepting donations to repay himself for his defense. ‘GoFundMe does not allow campaigns for the legal defense of financial crimes.’ Trump is violating your terms & any funds shouldn’t reach him.”
Experts too, raised concerns about the fundraiser. 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. The GoFundMe proposal is an unsurprising offshoot—and it against the platform’s strict rules and likely to end up in court with a request for an injunction or other civil remedy. Plus, there may be criminal implications if the GoFundMe sponsors know that what they are doing is itself a fraud. In sum, another Trump mess!”
But Jalen Drummond, the director of public affairs, told Newsweek: “This fundraiser is currently within our terms of service.”
Trump called Engoron “crooked” and James “totally corrupt” in a Truth Social post on Friday. His lawyer Christopher Kise told Newsweek at the time that Trump plans to appeal the judge’s ruling in James’ “unjust political crusade against the front-running candidate for President of the United States.”
Meanwhile, James 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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