In a Classic Move From the Authoritarian Playbook, Trump Orders a Politically Motivated Investigation of a Democratic Fundraising Platform

Apr 25, 2025

Donald Trump’s policies have caused his approval ratings to sink, making it likely Republicans will lose their majority in the House in the next election. So the natural next step is for Trump to make it harder for Democratic Party candidates to raise money for their campaigns.

The New York Times reports:

Mr. Trump called for an investigation by Attorney General Pam Bondi into ActBlue, which is used across the Democratic Party’s ecosystem to collect donations online. The inquiry is ostensibly meant to look into possible illegal donations made by people in someone else’s name, known as straw donations, as well as hard-dollar contributions from foreign donors. Mr. Trump asked for a report on the results of Ms. Bondi’s investigation within 180 days.
Mr. Trump’s action represents a threat to one of the key financial cogs of the left, potentially hindering Democrats’ ability to compete in elections. It is likely to please elements of his base, for whom ActBlue has become a top target. …
Regina Wallace-Jones, the platform’s chief executive, … wrote that the looming threat of an executive order or memorandum from Mr. Trump had already damaged ActBlue and its allies.
“The current strategy of distraction and exhaustion is effective,” she wrote. “We see this across the country and are not immune to this ourselves. The flow-on effect from the initial innuendo of the [executive order] caused many in the ecosystem anxiety and distress.”

There is no specific evidence ActBlue has enabled illegal campaign contributions and no more reason to suspect it than any other fundraising platform. But the process is the punishment, and the purpose is simply to bog down ActBlue with the time and expense of defending themselves.

The Executive Watch is a project of the Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism, and its flagship publication The UnPopulist, to track in an ongoing way the abuses of the power of the American presidency. It sorts these abuses into five categories: Personal Grift, Political Corruption, Presidential Retribution, Power Consolidation, and Policy Illegality. Click the category of interest to get an overview of all the abuses under it.

Follow us on Bluesky, Threads, YouTube, TikTok, Facebook, Instagram, and X.