A fundraising text went out from the Republican National Committee, allegedly written by Vice President JD Vance — but political observers were stunned at the tone-deaf nature of the pitch.
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“If you can’t give right now, don’t. Groceries cost what they cost,” said the text, reported by The Washington Post’s Natalie Allison. “But can you answer this for me?” The text linked to a push survey designed to squeeze voters for money.
The seeming acknowledgment of surging prices as President Donald Trump’s tariffs and Iran war continue to destabilize markets, combined with the implication that voters should give money despite that if they can afford to do so, earned widespread derision from commenters on social media.
“There’s actually no way they thought this was a good text to send,” wrote political commentator Isaiah Walker.
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“This is hilarious,” wrote former white nationalist columnist turned mainstream conservative Richard Hanania. “Trump fundraising is ‘I’m personally so disappointed in you if you don’t drain your retirement account on my behalf’ and Vance is like ‘you probably don’t have the money, Martha, but in case you do, mee maw once told me…'”
“Generationally low levels of awareness,” wrote Carter Elliott, communications official for Maryland Gov. Wes Moore.
“Who is spending money on politics when they can’t afford groceries??” wrote Eric Boehm of the libertarian periodical Reason. “If you know a person like this, they desperately need an intervention.”
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