I’m surprised they took so long to do this.
Donald Trump is targeting a massive Democratic fundraising tool in an upcoming presidential memorandum banning foreign donations in U.S. elections, according to reporting from Politico.
Donations platform ActBlue, which almost all Democratic candidates use in both primary and general elections, has often been criticized by Republicans—without evidence—for what they see as fraudulent donations from foreign actors. Republican Representative Bryan Steil ordered ActBlue to turn over its records in October and found nothing of the sort. There was actually evidence of ActBlue’s new program for automatic rejections of donations from foreign nationals.
ActBlue raised $400 million in the first three months of 2025, and Trump’s order would effectively choke off donations to the Democratic Party.
That’s the idea.
It’s a real “I know you are but what am I” charge that they are taking foreign donations considering all the Republicans who’ve been caught doing that but that’s how they roll. The right has always been jealous of the success of Act Blue (which is simply a pass through program for small donors) because they were never able to replicate it. So they must destroy it.
I have no idea if this gambit will work. But I always knew they’d try.