On February 16, justice was served when the judge overseeing Donald Trump’s civil fraud case handed down a fine of $354 million to the former president and his company. However, now conservatives have launched a GoFundMe to pay his fine.
The ruling in the civil fraud case was just the latest development in Trump’s ever-growing list of legal battles and mounting losses. The case was first raised in 2022 by New York Attorney General Letitia James, who alleged that Trump, his two adult sons, two executives, and their company were liable for over a decade of fraudulent activity. During the subsequent trial, James’ lawyers provided a bevy of evidence of falsified records and misrepresentation of Trump’s wealth by billions, which all served to trick countless banks and insurers involved in business with the Trumps. By September 2023, a judge had already ruled Trump liable for repeated violations of New York’s fraud laws.
The final ruling was long-awaited and did not disappoint. In addition to the staggering $354 million, Trump must also pay an estimated $100 million in interest on the amount, bringing his total penalty to almost half a billion. The astounding amount serves to show just how much of Trump’s real estate empire, which funded and supported his rise to Presidency, was built on fraud. Now, he’s being forced to repay a large portion of the money he gained by unethical means. This is in addition to the millions he owes E. Jean Carroll for defamation.
Of course, conservatives quickly found a way to detract from the satisfaction of Trump’s mounting debts by starting a GoFundMe.
Elena Cardone starts suspicious GoFundMe for Donald Trump’s fine
For the last several weeks, conservatives have been incessantly harassing Alyssa Milano for fundraising for her son’s baseball team via a GoFundMe. They decided that she should personally cover the entire team’s expenses due to her and her husband’s wealth, and even took to trolling her 12-year-old son on social media over the campaign. However, these same conservatives have now happily flocked to a GoFundMe to raise money to cover Trump’s $354 million legal penalty.
Elena Cardone, the wife of real estate mogul Grant Cardone, is the GoFundMe’s organizer. Over the years, she and her husband have donated significantly to GOP candidates and hosted fundraisers for other legally embroiled Republicans. They were also accused in a class action lawsuit against their real estate business of pulling a Trump and misleading investors. Shortly after the penalty was handed to Trump, the GoFundMe popped up titled, “Stand with Trump; Fund the $355M Unjust Judgement.” In the description, Cardone wrote, “I stand unwaveringly with President Donald Trump in the face of what I see as unprecedented and unfair treatment by certain judicial elements in New York.”
She goes on to claim that donating and raising the total amount of the ruling will uphold “the cause of every business owner and entrepreneur who believes in the fight against a system that increasingly seeks to penalize dissent and curb our freedoms.” As a result, it is encouraging conservatives to stand with Trump in a “defense of business.” So far, the fundraiser has generated $694,172 from over 13,000 donations.
There are so many things wrong with this that it’s hard to know where to begin. For one, it reflects terribly on GoFundMe to actually allow this fundraiser to be started. Unfortunately, the company issued a statement indicating it has no intentions of removing the fundraiser because it is somehow within its “terms of service.” Really? Is it totally fine to use GoFundMe to raise money to pay a convicted criminal‘s legal penalties for fraud? On top of that, Trump or the Cardones could easily single-handedly pay the total amount of his penalties.
It’s funny how quickly conservatives forgot their rage over Milano’s GoFundMe when it’s billionaire Trump in need of funds. On top of that, Cardone’s description doesn’t even say the amount raised will go towards paying Trump’s debt. It only encourages raising the same amount as the penalty as some sort of symbolic stand. So, conservatives may literally have just given the multi-billionaire Cardones over half a million to pocket.
On social media, #BoycottGoFundMe quickly began trending on X as users slammed the business for allowing this nauseating fundraiser to exist. Users also quickly uncovered that Jalen Drummond, who works in GoFundMe’s public affairs and claimed the fundraiser was within its terms of service, has ties to Trump. He worked as a White House assistant press secretary during the Trump administration and has publicly expressed support for him. It certainly seems like a conflict of interest for Drummond to decide the validity of the fundraiser.
Conservatives have also been using the #BoycottGoFundMe hashtag to mock it and brag that they donated. It’s actually a bit humorous that some of these unhinged conservatives are making themselves bankrupt by donating to Trump because they think it will upset liberals. It’s sadly not even really surprising, though, that conservatives who advocate for eliminating welfare programs and don’t want food service and retail workers to earn a livable wage are now emptying their pockets for Trump.
It’s also still quite disgusting to see GoFundMe’s true colors show as it stands by and lets this fraudulent, unethical fundraiser flourish. Every dollar going to a billionaire criminal’s fund is a dollar that could’ve gone toward someone who is actually in need of donations.
(featured image: Pool / Getty)
