Democrat Digital Fundraising Operations Targeted by Trump
In a bold move, President Trump has set his sights on the digital fundraising platforms that fuel the majority of Democratic campaign war chests. In a statement signed on Thursday, the Trump administration ordered an investigation into ActBlue, the primary Democratic grassroots fundraising tool.
The executive order, published on the White House website, raises concerns of foreign nationals potentially manipulating these fundraising sites to fund American elections. The order empowers the new Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, to delve into these platforms, seeking evidence of suspicious activities. The document states:
...reports have surfaced suggesting that online fundraising platforms have willingly participated in schemes to launder excessive and illegal contributions to political candidates and committees.
The order continues:
...these findings indicate malign actors could be evading Federal source and amount limitations on political contributions by breaking down large contributions from a single source into numerous smaller ones, disguising them as donations from various individuals, without their consent or knowledge. It also hints at the use of "straw donations" made through "dummy" accounts, potentially employing gift cards or prepaid credit cards to dodge detection.
The order authorizes Bondi and Bessant to investigate these fundraising tools for any signs of foreign manipulation. We reached out to the Trump administration for more insights.
Curiously, the order references a previous House Republicans' probe into ActBlue that supposedly uncovered evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform during the 2024 election cycle.
It's worth mentioning that Republicans have their own fundraising machine, WinRed, launched during Trump's initial term. Introduced in 2019, WinRed functions as a for-profit fundraising tool, aiming to match Democrats' ActBlue in the fundraising race. Although the Trump administration has been vocal in promoting WinRed, it has received mixed reviews within the Republican Party, often criticized for its less-than-stellar performance compared to ActBlue. The platform has previously faced scrutiny from several state attorneys general over its donation-encouraging tactics.
[1] The New York Times. (2025, April 24). Trump Signs Memorandum Directing Probe into ActBlue. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/us/politics/trump-actblue-investigation.html[2] Politico. (2025, April 24). White House Initiates Probe into ActBlue for Potential Foreign Influence. Retrieved from https://www.politico.com/news/2025/04/24/white-house-actblue-investigation-484021[3] ActBlue.com. (2025, April 24). Response to Trump Administration's Investigation. Retrieved from https://www.actblue.com/statement/response-to-trump-administrations-investigation[4] Roll Call. (2025, April 24). House Democrats Slam Trump Administration's ActBlue Probe. Retrieved from https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/house-democrats-slam-trump-administrations-actblue-probe-979064
- The investigation ordered by President Trump into ActBlue, the primary Democratic fundraising tool, raises concerns about foreign nationals manipulating digital fundraising sites to influence American elections.
- The executive order empowers the Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, to delve into these platforms, seeking evidence of suspicious activities, such as contributions laundering.
- Reports suggest that online fundraising platforms have willingly participated in schemes to launder excessive and illegal contributions, breaking down large contributions from a single source into numerous smaller ones, disguising them as donations from various individuals.
- The order also hints at the use of "straw donations" made through "dummy" accounts, potentially employing gift cards or prepaid credit cards to evade detection.
- In a statement, the Trump administration references a previous House Republicans' probe into ActBlue that supposedly uncovered evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform during the 2024 election cycle.
- Republicans have their own fundraising tool, WinRed, launched during Trump's initial term, which functions as a for-profit fundraising tool, aiming to match Democrats' ActBlue in the fundraising race, but has received mixed reviews within the Republican Party.
