President Donald Trump’s joint fundraising committee sent an email this week promising recipients “high-priority, need-to-know information that is not readily available for everyday Americans.”
It told readers to sit down before reading, to make sure they were alone, and to ensure that “NO Leftists” could see over their shoulder.
The email’s claim of “information that is not readily available for everyday Americans” is false.
What follows is a standard fundraising pitch filled with misleading claims about the filibuster, federal judges and Democratic mayors.
Instead of secret information, readers found a list of familiar political grievances, followed by a request for $20.
The email was sent by Trump National Committee JFC, Inc., a joint fundraising committee of Never Surrender, Inc., Working for Ohio and the Republican National Committee.
The ‘secret’ information is a deceitful fundraising appeal
The email opens by claiming to offer information unavailable to ordinary Americans.
It then lists claims that Democrats in the House are trying to flip the Republican majority, that Senate Democrats are filibustering the SAVE Act, that “radical leftist activist judges” are blocking Trump’s executive orders, and that “leftist mayors” are refusing to cooperate with ICE.
None of these are secret. All have been reported extensively by news organizations and debated publicly in Congress.
The email does not cite documents, data or previously undisclosed facts. It ends with a countdown clock and a donate button.
The filibuster claim is misleading
The email says Senate Democrats are “filibustering the SAVE ACT and doing everything they can to destroy safe and free elections.”
The SAVE Act would require documentary proof of citizenship to register to vote. Independent fact-checkers have found that noncitizen voting is exceedingly rare, and critics warn the bill could disenfranchise eligible voters who lack ready access to citizenship documents.
But the bill’s stall is not solely the product of Democratic opposition. Senate Majority Leader John Thune has said there are not enough votes to eliminate the filibuster rule, and not enough Republican support to do so.
“The facts on the ground are very clear,” Thune said. “There are not the votes to nuke the filibuster, and there aren’t going to be 10 Democrat votes to all of a sudden support the SAVE America Act.”
The National Review, a conservative publication, called the push “theater,” noting that “even if the filibuster disappeared tomorrow, the Save Act wouldn’t pass.”
The claim about judges mischaracterizes judicial review
The email says “radical leftist ACTIVIST JUDGES are blocking my executive orders and efforts to deport dangerous illegal criminals.”
Federal courts have blocked several Trump executive actions, including his attempt to end birthright citizenship and his suspension of asylum access at the border. In each case, judges found the administration had exceeded its statutory authority.
Judicial review of executive action is a core function of the constitutional separation of powers, not partisan obstruction. The email offers no evidence that the rulings were motivated by politics rather than law.
The claim about mayors is unsupported
The email says “leftist mayors REFUSE to cooperate with ICE and actively encourage dangerous, America-hating rioters and violence against our nation’s brave law enforcement agents.”
This conflates sanctuary city policies with incitement to violence. Sanctuary policies generally involve declining to hold individuals for federal immigration authorities without judicial warrants, a position grounded in the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Disagreement over immigration enforcement is not the same as encouraging violence against police. The email provides no evidence that any mayor has done so.
The $5,000 payment promise
The email’s request for $20 comes amid Trump’s new pledge to pay every adult American $5,000 if Republicans win both chambers of Congress in November.
Trump announced the proposal at the Republican National Committee’s midterm convention in Dallas, calling it the “Trump Dividend.”
“If the Republicans win the House of Representatives and the United States Senate — both of them — I will issue a dividend to every adult citizen in the United States of America for $5,000,” Trump said.
There are several problems with the proposal.
It may be illegal. Federal law makes it a crime to offer “an expenditure to any person, either to vote or withhold his vote, or to vote for or against any candidate.” The statute carries penalties of up to two years in prison.
It has no funding mechanism. The payment would cost more than $1 trillion. No details have been provided on how it would be funded or administered. Vice President JD Vance has suggested tariffs could cover it, but even before the Supreme Court struck down much of Trump’s tariff program, tariff revenues fell far short of the cost.
It requires congressional approval. Marc Goldwein of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget said Trump “has no authority to send money to Americans without approval from Congress.” Congress has not authorized any such payment.
It is conditioned on a political outcome. Trump framed the payment as a reward for voting Republican: “We’re making a fortune, so if the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000.”
The email ends with a familiar plea: “This is your moment to stand up and fight for the country we’re building together right now!”
The country described in the email is one where $20 buys access to “secret” information that is not secret, and where a vote is worth $5,000 — if it is cast the right way, and if the check ever arrives.
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