Thinking of donating to that pro-Trump PAC? Make sure it's not a scam.
Donald Trump has not done much fundraising to date, which has the side effect of potentially leaving would-be donors uniquely receptive to pitches from pro-Trump PACs that tout their support of the candidate — but have no actual connection to his campaign.
For better or worse, these organizations exist, but the problem is when they also have no actual intention of making meaningful expenditures to help get Trump elected. Scam PACs, which solicit donations and then use the funds for lavish staff salaries and deals with favored contractors, have become a thorn in the side of grassroots-oriented Republicans in recent years — though Democrats and establishment Republicans are by no means immune.
Trump — with his nascent fundraising apparatus and decision to eschew data-driven campaigning — is a favored target, causing his advisors to worry their fundraising efforts will be stunted by the success of scammers raising money in The Donald's name. About 25 ostensibly pro-Trump PACs are in operation right now, but only six of them have made an ad buy supporting his candidacy.
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Bonnie Kristian was a deputy editor and acting editor-in-chief of TheWeek.com. She is a columnist at Christianity Today and author of Untrustworthy: The Knowledge Crisis Breaking Our Brains, Polluting Our Politics, and Corrupting Christian Community (forthcoming 2022) and A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today (2018). Her writing has also appeared at Time Magazine, CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, and The American Conservative, among other outlets.
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