Adyn Ross, an online streamer with ties to white supremacists, gifted former President Trump a new Tesla Cybertruck and a Rolex watch during a guest appearance on his show on Monday, raising questions about campaign finance laws.
The Cybertruck was wrapped with a photo of Trump moments after the assassination attempt at a rally in Pennsylvania last month, and his slogan “Make America Great Again” was emblazoned on the hood.
President Trump was thrilled with the gift and came out of his Mar-a-Lago club to watch it during the stream.
“Wow!” he said. “That’s Elon!”
The former president later described the car as “incredible” and “beautiful.”
When Ross presented Trump with a gold Rolex, Trump appeared to joke that it was now worth appearing on Ross’s stream for the first time.
“Now I see it’s worth it,” he said, calling Rolex a “great watch company.”
It’s unclear whether Trump actually accepted the gifts, but if he did, it could have violated federal campaign finance laws: Individual contributions to federal candidates are limited to $3,300, far short of the tens of thousands of dollars the cars and watches are worth.
Brendan Fischer, campaign finance watchdog He told Rolling Stone magazine He believes Trump will publicly reject the gifts to avoid legal scrutiny.
“Giving tens of thousands of dollars in gifts to candidates is illegal and excessive campaign contributions,” Fisher said. “I expect that once Mr. Trump speaks with his lawyers, we will hear an announcement that he will either decline the gifts or donate them to charity.”
The Hill has reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
During his guest appearance, Trump also made rapid-fire comments about various politicians, saying Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) was “good at her job” and comparing her to Eva Peron, the former first lady of Argentina.
Trump also claimed he warned former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-New York) that Ocasio-Cortez could be a political threat during his 2018 primary challenger, who he lost to Ocasio-Cortez.
Crowley denied being contacted by Trump during the 2018 election. Calling the story “That’s complete nonsense.”
Trump’s appearance on Ross’ stream has also raised concern online given his controversial past: He was repeatedly banned from the live-streaming platform Twitch for using homophobic slang and has since moved to alternative platform Kick, where he has hosted guests such as white supremacist Nick Fuentes and suspected sex trafficker Andrew Tate.
In March, Ross inadvertently revealed that Tate was planning to escape from house arrest in Romania. Currently under prosecution He was arrested on suspicion of sex trafficking, a charge that Tate, himself a far-right online influencer, denies.
The 23-year-old’s streams focus on playing video games and gambling online with guests, with an audience made up mainly of young boys.
