A GOP Group Is Being Mocked For Threatening Supporters To Tell Trump They’re A ‘Defector’ If They Don’t Donate

Last weekend, The New York Times reported on a particularly sleazy way the Trump campaign earned donations in the final months leading up to the 2020 election: They pre-checked yellow boxes asking supporters to make their payments recurring. Many didn’t un-check that box and were astounded, even devastated financially, upon finding their bank accounts unwittingly drained. Now there’s a similar trick is afoot, this time with an over-the-top, threatening message to go with it.

As per the Times, a group called the National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) has been sending out donation forms, also with a pre-checked box denoting a monthly charge. There’s also some rather intense text to go with it.

“We need to know we haven’t lost you to the Radical Left,” it reads. “If you UNCHECK this box, we will have to tell Trump you’re a DEFECTOR & sides with the Dems.”

Bullying language and all-caps words aside, it’s the same ploy the Trump campaign used, forcing donators to uncheck the box to stop recurring payments they might not want or be able to pay. Consumer advocates called the measure a “dark pattern,” especially considering the Trump team was forced to pay $122 million in refunds during the 2020 cycle to their own supporters. (Donation refunds are not uncommon, but compare and contrast with the Biden campaign, which refunded almost $100 million less during the same period.)

Still, people were surprised by the new, cartoonishly aggressive language.

It seemed unlikely that Trump would be told about each every so-called “defector.”

But it does seem likely some of his supporters would believe that.

More than that, it just seemed weird.

And culty.

And it drove many to simply make jokes.