Highlights
- Adin Ross may have broken campaign finance laws by giving Donald Trump expensive gifts during a recent livestream.
- U.S. federal law restricts individuals' contributions to $3,300 per election campaign. The limit applies to anything of value rather than just money.
- Adin Ross gifted Donald Trump a Rolex watch and a custom Tesla Cybertruck whose combined value likely exceeds $120,000.
Adin Ross has possibly violated campaign finance laws by giving Donald Trump several lavish gifts. The Kick star presented the presents to the former president during a recent livestream.
Adin Ross's Kick livestream with Donald Trump took place on August 5. The 90-minute broadcast saw the pair discuss a variety of topics, with Ross also using it as an opportunity to gift a Rolex watch and a custom Tesla Cybertruck to the Republican presidential nominee.
FEC Limits Individuals' Campaign Contributions to $3,300 Per Candidate
But doing so was possibly a violation of campaign finance laws. That's according to Daniel Weiner, a doctor of law and the current director of the elections and government program at the Brennan Center for Justice nonprofit. In a recent statement provided to The Washington Post, Weiner explained that Trump's status as a presidential candidate makes him subject to federal contribution limits. For the 2023/24 federal elections, those limits amount to $3,300 worth of contributions that any given individual is allowed to make to a single election campaign, according to the Federal Election Commission (FEC). The restrictions don't just apply to money but anything of value, Weiner explained.
Adin Ross's Gifts to Trump Possibly Exceed $120,000 in Value
Adin Ross's gifts to Trump have likely exceeded that amount by several orders of magnitude. The watch that he gave to the former U.S. president appears to have been a yellow gold Rolex Day-Date with a green dial. The cheapest brand-new timepiece fitting that description currently retails at approximately $40,000. Meanwhile, the 2024 stateside price of Tesla's Cybertruck ranges from $81,895 to $101,985, depending on the exact configuration. Since the vehicle that Ross gifted features a custom paint job depicting the July 13 Trump assassination attempt, its value is ostensibly r to the upper end of that range.
Trump Campaign to Seek Federal Guidance on 'How to Handle' Ross's Lavish Gifts
Weiner conceded that Ross might have presented the gifts on behalf of his company or another legal entity. And while that would make the point about contribution limits moot, as corporations aren't limited in how much they can spend on electoral advocacy, it would still be illegal because companies are barred from contributing directly to election campaigns, Weiner concluded. In a statement provided to The Washington Post, Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said that the campaign will ask the FEC for "guidance on how to handle the gifts."
Although Adin Ross's gifts to Trump could hence constitute a violation of campaign finance laws, it is currently unclear whether the Kick streamer is facing any legal trouble for them. The FEC, which would be in charge of sanctioning any violations of this sort, declined to comment on the matter for The Washington Post.
Source: FEC
