Donald Trump's campaign is being sued for sending unwanted text messages

Text messaging.
(Image credit: iStock)

It is annoying enough to get wrong-number texts from randos, but what about when Donald Trump sends you an unsolicited SMS? Joshua Thorne of Illinois has filed a lawsuit against Trump's campaign on behalf of anyone who has received such a text, The Chicago Tribune reports — and apparently, thousands have.

According to the class-action complaint, Trump's campaign violated the Telephone Customer Protection Act, which forbids sending texts using an automatic telephone dialing system without the recipient's express consent, due to the fact that text messages often cost their recipients money. On March 4, however, Trump for President allegedly sent thousands of unsolicited messages that read, "Reply YES to subscribe to Donald J. Trump for President. Your subscription will help Make America Great Again! Msg&data rates may apply."

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Jeva Lange

Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.