The Trumps’ cynical demand that their supporters donate ‘if they can afford it’

Taken over by the liberals “PatriotTakes” account On X, several critics of the former president and his policies criticized Lara Trump’s suggestion that people give what little they can. This was partly because PatriotTakes misrepresented Trump’s request; she wasn’t asking people to save up to donate $5, but rather to save any donations for later. The criticism was partly due to the incongruity of a member of a very wealthy family asking people if they could save five dollars.

However, this is a misinterpretation of what is actually happening. This little talk about not being able to pay a contribution is instead political rhetoric aimed at reinforcing the idea that Americans are suffering excessively under the Biden administration.

This is demonstrated most explicitly in ads featuring Donald Trump himself. In ads running on Facebook, you can see the “if you can afford it” bit in context.

“DON’T DONATE IF YOU CAN’T AFFORD IT!” » they say. “Joe Biden destroyed our country, so if you can’t afford to contribute, don’t even think about it!”

“Joe Biden destroyed our country,” said another, “so if you can’t afford to contribute, don’t even think about it!”

That’s the point. It’s not that Lara Trump and her father-in-law are eagerly asking poor Americans to send whatever they can muster. It’s because they want to reinforce the idea that millions of people have been plunged into economic insecurity because of the policies of Trump’s opponent in the general election. And that This idea, they obviously hope, might entice some hesitant donors to contribute — to make up the difference for those who can’t do so because of Bidenomics.

You know how to know that Trump doesn’t really care about the economic situation of his supporters? Because this is the same person who last month offered his followers the opportunity to buy a Bible with public domain text for $60, part of which goes into his pocket. This is the guy who earlier this week insisted that shares of his social media company – which dramatically boosted his fortune when they exploded after the company’s IPO – were worth ‘investment. He’s the guy who sells $400 sneakers and Trump brand cologne. Who tried to get people to buy $99 NFTs, including a promotion in which buyers got a piece of the suit he wore in his ID photo.

It’s the capitalist buffet of an inveterate hustler who would undoubtedly take your last dollar if you wanted to give it to him and maybe if you really didn’t. (His 2020 campaign, you may recall, had to refund a huge amount of money to people who inadvertently signed up for recurring donations.) If Donald Trump is suggesting you keep your money in your pocket, it’s probably either because he wants something else from you. – like a vote – or if he thinks it’s a way to get more money from you later.

All that aside, it’s helpful that Lara Trump is asking people to donate $5, not just that they’ll maybe accidentally agree to donate $5 a month indefinitely. Political campaigns want your small donations because they come with your contact information and an indication that you are willing to give them something. They potentially have no information about you and now have a way to ask you for an additional $5, $10, or $3,000 over the next six months.

Separately, in the most recent YouGov poll, lower-income respondents were more likely to indicate support for Biden than Trump. Trump had the advantage among those in the middle income bracket, who would likely be less likely to just get by.

And heck, when you’re done giving that $5 to the RNC, why not grab some shares of Trump Media?