President Trump’s campaign is using a misleading email to solicit donations by fooling people into thinking an application failed.The Trump-Vance campaign’s email to supporters starts with the subject line “Respectfully, I’m sorry.” The email then tells them that their “Trump Inner Circle” application “FAILED because of technical difficulties.”“Was this a technical error? Your application was denied!” the email reads, before directing the recipient to click a button labeled “TRY AGAIN HERE.”The email, which was first reported on by MeidasTouch News, ends with a message that Trump is “expecting to see your name” on his “roster before the doors close at midnight tonight,” creating a sense of urgency to fix or complete the application. But there is no application. Clicking the button just redirects to a fundraising page asking for a contribution.It looks like a typical email scam, down to the bright red color used on the “TRY AGAIN HERE” button. But the email address it’s coming from is legitimate:
[email protected], and it’s likely to dupe a lot of Trump supporters, particularly older people who think they need to pay up. It’s not the first time Trump has done this.In December, Trump sent out a fundraising email warning recipients that Democrats would steal their “tariff rebate checks” if they didn’t donate money to him within the hour. Republicans as a whole have often raked in cash from older people, even when they have dementia, with misleading tactics.Trump has already raised a massive war chest, with many Republicans worrying that he’s hoarding much-needed funds. He’s not even engaging with GOP members of Congress on Capitol Hill that much. These fundraising emails appear to be yet another grift.