President Donald Trump has found a way to convert the State of the Union address into a fund-raising opportunity.
In an e-mail to Trump supporters attributed to son Eric Trump and sent out by the joint fundraising committee of the Donald J. Trump for President, Inc. and the Republican National Committee, Eric Trump asks for money and says that "The official Donald J. Trump for President livestream of the speech will display the names of all the patriots who chose to make a contribution for the world to see."
That was followed soon after by an e-mail over the President's signature: "Please make a special State of the Union contribution to have your name broadcast during my speech on the Official Donald J. Trump for President livestream," he wrote.
Even if you choose to only give $1, the proof of your support will send shockwaves around the world as they see every American who proudly stands behind our President," said the younger Trump in the e-mail, billing it in part as a way to combat the media's reports that his father's movement is losing support. "That ends today," he says.
His father concurred. "Every single day, you are LECTURED by the media as they tell you what you believe and how you feel about America," said the President. "But tonight, the media gets to hear from the AMERICAN PEOPLE."
“This inappropriate usage of the State of the Union to advertise campaign access is the opposite of the ‘drain the swamp’ presidency on which Trump based his campaign," said Robert Weissman, president of Public Citizen. "This administration has no shame. This latest outrage underscores the need for national reform to our system of moneyed politics.”
