Donald Trump dinged by federal regulators for accepting 'apparently excessive contributions'
A one-cent campaign contribution flagged by the Federal Election Commission as exceeding federal campaign contribution limits?
It’s another example of the bizarre world of Donald Trump — in this case, his Donald J. Trump For President 2024 Inc. campaign committee.
The extra, excessive penny sent to Trump is part of hundreds of recent Trump contributions the Federal Election Commission said exceeded federal limits, according to a letter the regulatory agency sent the Trump campaign Thursday.
Accepting some level of excessive contributions — and having the FEC call them into question — isn’t unusual for a big-dollar presidential campaign, be it Republican or Democrat.
What’s notable for Trump is the number of MAGA supporters who exceed federal campaign donation limits by making repeated, incessant small-dollar donations almost as if they’re addicted to giving Trump — a man who famously brags about wealth — whatever money they have.
The New York Times also reported in 2021 that Trump used aggressive fundraising techniques that caused donors to unwittingly give his campaign more money than they had planned. Trump’s committee had to return millions in campaign contributions because people intending to make a single payment didn’t understand that they had to opt out of recurring payments by unchecking a box on an online payment form.
As for the recent one-cent donation, it came on Dec. 9 from a retired person listed in FEC records as Susan Udell from La Mirada, Calif.
Another donor, Diana Solorzano, a retired person from Oceanside, Calif., was listed as having made 361 excessive contributions counted during the first quarter of 2023 — ranging from 31 cents to $99.
Solorzano made three 89-cent donations on the same day, March 20, according to the public records.
Dickie Bourgeois, described by Trump’s campaign as a foreman from Thibodaux, La., made seven $100 donations — and six contributions of 25 cents or less.
Vickie Allison, a retired person from Mesa, Ariz., made 10 donations on Feb. 1 ranging from 99 cents to $49.50.
Campaign contributions are limited to $3,300 per election from an individual or $5,000 from a multi-candidate political committee. Contributions that exceed these limits are supposed to be refunded by a campaign — or redesignated from, say, a primary election to a general election.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to Raw Story’s request for comment.
The campaign has until Aug. 17 to reply to the FEC’s allegations. Trump is leading the 2024 GOP presidential nomination field, which has grown to more than a dozen serious candidates, even if many have so far attracted little interest from voters.
Trump isn’t entirely alone in receiving support from people who treat political donations like plunking quarters in a casino slot machine. The Center for Public Integrity, for one, detailed the phenomenon among Democrats, too.
