Trump Eyes ActBlue in Major Push Against Foreign Election Interference
Things are heating up in Washington as former President Donald Trump gears up to drop a political bombshell. According to someone close to the situation (who spoke under anonymity because the details haven’t been publicly rolled out yet), Trump plans to sign a presidential memo this Thursday cracking down hard on foreign donations in U.S. elections. And the target? The left-leaning fundraising giant ActBlue.
Now, let’s not pretend this comes out of nowhere. Republicans have had their eyes on ActBlue for a while. They’ve raised concerns time and again about how easy it might be for foreign nationals to sneak donations through the platform’s system. Whether that’s true or not is still up for debate, but this move from Trump could be a big escalation in that fight.
What makes this extra spicy? For starters, Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office is expected to play a role in enforcing the crackdown. The full mechanics of how her office will pull it off haven’t been released yet, but if Bondi’s involved, things could get aggressive quickly. Remember, Bondi’s never been one to shy away from a political fight.
On the flip side, Democrats aren’t exactly taking this lying down. They’ve been on high alert, expecting some sort of action from the White House aimed at derailing ActBlue’s fundraising operations. And they’re framing this move as a direct attack on grassroots democracy.
ActBlue CEO Regina Wallace-Jones sent out a defiant email to supporters just one day before the expected memo. She didn’t mince words. “Nothing will deter or interrupt ActBlue’s mission and work to enable millions of Americans to participate in our democracy,” she wrote. And then she added the kicker: “This is the next version of ‘the big lie.’” Talk about throwing down the gauntlet.
To understand the tension here, it helps to look at the legal backdrop. Federal election law strictly prohibits any financial contributions or expenditures from foreign nationals or governments—no matter the amount, and no matter if it's for a local city council race or the Oval Office. And yet, the real issue is how platforms like ActBlue verify donors and prevent violations before they happen.
That’s where Republican Congressman Bryan Steil of Wisconsin comes in. As chair of the House Committee on Administration, he’s been pressing for answers. Back in October, he sent ActBlue a formal request asking for documentation about how exactly they verify where donations are coming from. His concern? That the safeguards just aren’t strong enough to weed out international interference.
Fast forward to December, and ActBlue did hand over some documents. According to Steil, they did show that the company had put in place a series of new rules and technologies designed to automatically reject donations that look shady—like ones tied to foreign gift cards, domestic prepaid cards, or originating from high-risk or sanctioned nations.
Steil called the updates “a positive step forward,” but he wasn’t entirely convinced. “There’s still more work to be done,” he said at the time, making it clear that Republicans don’t plan to drop the issue anytime soon.
Meanwhile, ActBlue is sticking to its guns. In a press statement from December, they claimed their security measures are already top-notch. “Our robust security program and strict fraud prevention measures help us rigorously protect donors’ information, root out potentially unlawful foreign contributions, protect donors from financial fraud, and flag potentially unlawful or fraudulent activity,” the platform said.
But here’s where it gets murky. Critics say that ActBlue’s sheer size and the speed at which donations roll in—especially during heated election seasons—make it tough to monitor everything in real time. When you’re processing millions of dollars in contributions, even a small margin of error could turn into a big problem.
From a strategic angle, Trump’s planned memo could serve multiple purposes. It fires up his base—many of whom already believe the system is rigged—and puts pressure on a key Democratic fundraising machine. Plus, it plays into his broader narrative about election integrity, something he’s hammered home repeatedly since 2020.
Let’s break it down with some key takeaways:
✅ Trump’s going after ActBlue with a presidential memo targeting foreign donations in elections.
✅ Attorney General Pam Bondi’s office is expected to be part of the action, though exact details are under wraps.
✅ Democrats see this as a political attack, with ActBlue's CEO calling it a continuation of “the big lie.”
✅ Rep. Bryan Steil has been pushing hard for oversight, raising questions about how ActBlue verifies donors.
✅ Federal law is crystal clear: no foreign money allowed in U.S. elections—period.
✅ ActBlue says it’s already taken steps to filter out risky donations, but GOP leaders say it’s not enough.
So, what’s next? Once Trump signs the memo, things could move fast. Depending on how the order is structured, we could see investigations, audits, or even legal battles unfold—especially if Bondi’s office starts digging deep. It also raises the possibility of tighter regulations being pushed through Congress, particularly if Republicans maintain control of the House.
What’s clear is that this isn’t just about one platform—it’s about the larger fight over how American elections are funded, who gets to participate, and what safeguards are truly needed in the digital age. ActBlue may be in the crosshairs now, but if this sparks a wider review of campaign finance platforms, we could see a ripple effect across the board.
In the meantime, expect more political fireworks. Both parties know that fundraising is the lifeblood of modern campaigns. And in an election season where every dollar counts, this battle over digital donations might be one of the most important fights yet.
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