Democrats' Digital Fundraising Platforms Face Scrutiny from Trump Administration
Trump Turns Heat on Democratic Fundraising Sites
In a move that's stirring up quite a commotion, President Trump has set his sights on online fundraising platforms that power most Democrats' political campaigns. The target of this scrutiny is ActBlue, the go-to grassroots fundraising tool for the Democratic Party.
Last Thursday, an executive order was signed by the Trump administration, launching an investigation into ActBlue. The order, published on the White House website, alleges that 'foreign nationals' could be exploiting fundraising sites like ActBlue to influence American elections. The Attorney General, Pam Bondi, and the Treasury Secretary, Scott Bessant, have been authorized to delve into these sites in search of signs of deceit.
The order states:
...reports and probes by congressional committees have uncovered startling evidence that online fundraising platforms have been complicit in schemes to funnel excessive and prohibited contributions to political candidates and committees.
Furthermore, the order expresses concerns that malicious actors are bypassing Federal contribution limits by dividing large contributions from a single source into multiple smaller contributions – falsely attributed to various individuals – without their knowledge or consent. It also raises suspicions about the use of 'dummy' accounts and gift cards or prepaid credit cards to dodge detection.
Should more information be required, the Trump administration has been contacted.
The order harks back to a previous investigation by House Republicans into ActBlue, which supposedly uncovered evidence of foreign-based fraud on the platform.
It is essential to take note that the Republican Party also has its own fundraising venture, WinRed, initiated during Trump's first term in office. Launched in 2019, WinRed operates as a for-profit fundraising tool, designed to put Republicans on par with Democrats' ActBlue. The Trump administration has been actively encouraging Republicans to make use of WinRed, which, despite its Democratic counterpart's success, has often been criticized by Republicans themselves and has faced scrutiny from several state attorneys general due to its tactics that encourage donations.
[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/us/politics/trump-executive-order-actblue-investigation.html
[2] https://www. washingtonpost.com/politics/2025/04/24/trump-orders-justice-department-investigate-actblue-over-foreign-fundraising-concerns/
[3] https://www.cnbc.com/2025/04/24/trump-orders-probe-into-actblue-over-foreign-fundraising-concerns.html
[4] https:// www.wired.com/story/trump-actblue-foreign-influence- funding/
[5] https://www.axios.com/2025/04/24/trump-acts-against-actblue-fundraising-platform.html
- The investigation launched by the Trump administration into ActBlue, a popular fundraising tool for the Democratic Party, raises concerns about the future of technology in politics, as policy-and-legislation may soon govern the realm of tech-driven fundraising, such as that provided by Gizmodo's general news coverage.
- The scrutiny faced by ActBlue, acting as the go-to platform for Democratic fundraising, reflects the increasingly politicized landscape of tech and its impact on policy-and-legislation, as the intersection of politics and technology receives more attention than ever before.
- As the Trump administration delves into the internal workings of fundraising sites like ActBlue in search of deceit, it highlights the importance of understanding the role of technology in our political system and the potential need for updated policy-and-legislation aimed at regulating tech-driven aspects of general-news and politics.
