Trump Campaign’s ‘Dinner With Donald’ Contests Questioned: Where Are the Winners?
JOSE LUIS MAGANA/ASSOCIATED PRESS
Donald Trump’s campaign has often enticed supporters with exciting opportunities to meet or dine with the former president through contest offers. These promotions, sent via email, promise personal interactions with Trump for lucky winners. However, a recent investigation by The New York Times raises doubts about whether most of these prizes have ever been awarded.
The Times took a deep dive into the contests and struggled to find evidence of winners for the majority of the offers. “In several emails to subscribers since late August, the campaign has included two photos it said were of contest winners: a man named William McGuffin and his son, as well as another pair whose names the campaign did not provide,” the report states.
The investigation continued, revealing that their review of local news and social media sources could not verify winners for any of the other 39 contests. Beyond Mr. McGuffin, there was no additional evidence of any other winners. This discrepancy stands in sharp contrast to the contest records of Vice President Kamala Harris’s campaign.
According to the Times, Harris’s campaign was able to produce names for six winners out of the nine contests they have run so far, with the remaining three contests still ongoing and awaiting winner announcements. The lack of transparency and documentation in Trump’s campaign contests has prompted questions about potential legal ramifications.
The Times speculates that Trump’s campaign “may have crossed a legal line” if it failed to deliver on its promised prizes. However, the legality of the situation is complex, as federal and state sweepstakes regulations govern such contests, while the Federal Election Commission does not provide specific rules for campaign-run sweepstakes.
Advertising and marketing law attorney Kyle-Beth Hilfer weighed in on the matter, telling the Times, “Sweepstakes rules should be crystal clear about whether a sponsor will award all prizes or whether a sponsor will choose alternate winners if the original potential winners are disqualified.” She warned that any ambiguity in these rules could result in legal challenges from contest entrants or even from regulatory authorities.
As the investigation into Trump’s campaign contests continues, questions about the transparency and legitimacy of these offers remain. With such contests playing a significant role in engaging and mobilizing supporters, the lack of clarity on whether they are genuinely awarding prizes could potentially spark further scrutiny, both legally and publicly. For now, the mystery of these “Dinner With Donald” winners lingers, raising concerns about campaign practices and their adherence to legal standards.
