The paths of Kamala Harris and Donald Trump have crossed before in the past: in 2011, Trump transferred money to her campaign – probably with a clear motive.
It was a bombshell that had been expected for days: US President Joe Biden is giving up a second term in office and is ending his election campaign. His Republican opponent Donald Trump will have to face another challenger. Vice President Kamala Harris is considered the most likely candidate – and was once supported by Trump and his family.
The donation check is currently making the rounds on social media again. Donald Trump donated $5,000 to Harris’ election campaign in 2011. But not for a political one: Before becoming Biden’s vice president, the lawyer worked as California’s top prosecutor. In the USA, the office, like many others, is filled by election. Trump also supported the 2013 re-election, but this time only with $1,000. In 2014, his daughter Ivanka Trump also donated $2,000 to Harris, reported the Washington Post.
What is behind Donald Trump’s donation to Kamala Harris?
Why Trump had donated money to Harris had already been speculated during the 2020 election campaign – after all, Harris had also run against Trump back then, albeit only as a candidate for the vice presidency. Most observers were already certain at the time: For Trump, it was primarily about business.
“It has nothing to do with principles or political views,” Gwenda Blair assured Politico. The professor has written a book about the Trump dynasty. Socialized in the construction industry in New York City, Trump learned to use party donations as machine oil for his business, says the expert. “It was all about levers to exercise power,” she explains. “It’s always been that way and hasn’t changed.”
In fact, there may have been a very specific reason for the donation in Harris’ case: At the time, allegations were being investigated in California against the so-called Trump University, which had defrauded a number of customers. The then chief prosecutor of New York, Eric Schneiderman, asked him to donate to Harris, Trump testified under oath in an investigation against Schneiderman. Fox News reported this, citing court documents. Schneiderman assured him that there would never be a lawsuit because of Trump University, Trump explained. He then donated the maximum amount for Harris at a fundraising event organized by Schneiderman.
In the end, it didn’t help Trump: After several successful class action lawsuits, he had to pay back almost $25 million. Schneiderman had to resign in 2018 after several women accused him of physical abuse.
“You kiss my ass”
It is no secret that Trump uses monetary donations to gain political advantages. On the contrary: “I donated to everyone. Because that was my job,” Trump admitted candidly at a campaign event in Iowa in 2016. “I have to donate to them. That’s how I get what I want. When I call, they kiss my ass.”
In addition to Harris, numerous other prosecutors also received money from him, regardless of their political stance. He also donated to current political opponents – including his rival candidate Hillary Clinton. “I have donated to most of the people I am now running against,” Trump boasted.
Harris wants to stay clean
Kamala Harris, however, cannot be blamed for the donation. Her office did not directly handle the lawsuit filed before she took office; it was pursued further. When Donald Trump announced his first candidacy for the presidency in 2015, she donated the money – to a civil rights group.
Sources: Politico, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal
