Jan. 6 failed to overturn the election, but as a marketing campaign…
Trump brought in $250 million through emails sent between Election Day and Jan. 6, 2021
The House Select Committee to Investigate the Jan. 6 Attack on the U.S. Capitol found that former President Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election weren’t just a botched attempt to stay in office after voters voted him out, it was also a massively successful email marketing campaign that raised millions of dollars.
Trump brought in $250 million through emails sent between Election Day and Jan. 6, 2021 that falsely claimed the election was stolen and donations would go to defending the election, according to the committee.
“The Trump campaign knew these claims of voter fraud were false yet they continued to barrage small-dollar donors with emails encouraging them to donate to something called the Official Election Defense Fund,” said Amanda Wick, senior investigative counsel for the committee.
Interviews with former Trump campaign members found there was no such thing as an Official Election Defense Fund, though, and it was simply a marketing tactic.
Looking through a database of Trump campaign emails, I found 260 emails about the Election Defense Fund, including this one from Dec. 2, 2020 that alleged Democrats and the media were stealing the election, so contribute $5 right now.
These emails were part of Trump’s efforts to disseminate false claims of election fraud, they included language to “protect” and “fight back,” and they also brought in nearly $10 million in the first week, the committee found.
Trump created an entity called Save America PAC in Nov. 2020 where most of the money went, and donations were made to former Trump chief of staff Mark Meadow’s charity, the Trump Hotel Collection, and Event Strategies Inc, which ran Trump’s Jan. 6 rally, according to the committee.
"Not only was there the ‘Big Lie,’ there was the big ripoff,” said Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.). “Small dollar donors use scarce disposable income to support candidates and causes of their choosing… and those donors deserve the truth about what those funds will be used for.”
In case you wondered what the Trump campaign emailed out the day before the attack on the Capitol, the subject line on this Jan. 5, 2021 email was “Tomorrow.” and the preheader was “We will have our day in Congress.”
The email referenced former Vice President Mike Pence saying supporters would have their day in Congress when objections were heard.
“This is our last line of defense,” the email read. “We’re calling on our STRONGEST allies to step up to the front lines of this nasty battle. With your help, we’ll uncover the TRUTH. Please contribute $5 IMMEDIATELY.”
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