Trump Campaign Texts Are Being Flagged As Spam: What You Need To Know
Here’s a breakdown on why the Trump campaign is reportedly fighting with the wireless carriers and how text messages are playing a bigger role in elections.
Roger Cheng
Executive Editor / Head of News
Roger Cheng is the executive editor in charge of CNET News, managing everything from daily breaking news to in-depth investigative packages. Prior to this, he was on the telecommunications beat and wrote for Dow Jones Newswires and The Wall Street Journal for nearly a decade. He’s a devoted Trojan alum and thinks sleep is the perfect — if unattainable — hobby for a parent.
President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is reportedly clashing with wireless carriers Verizon, AT& T and T-Mobile over whether its text messages should be blocked as spam.
Over the July Fourth weekend, the Trump campaign’s mass text message push was blocked by anti-spam monitors that work with the wireless carriers, according to Politico. A Business Insider story added more detail about Jared Kushner, a White House senior advisor and the son-in-law of the president, and a phone call he had with the three national US wireless carriers.
The Trump campaign says its text messages follow guidelines set by the Federal Communications Commission and the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and slammed the move to block them.
T-Mobile and Verizon declined to comment. AT& T wasn’t available for comment.
My Friend Donald Trump
Donald Trump writes to me often, usually several times a day. The president, as he calls himselfnone of that former businesswants me to know how much he values me as a trusted ally. He is forever offering me exciting opportunities, like the chance for my name to be permanently engraved on the Official 2022 Trump Donor Wall in his office. All I need to do for this to happen is contribute $45 by midnight.
Space is extremely limited, the president warned. This could be your only chance.
President Trump is always looking out for me that way. He has told me countless times that I must act quickly because time is running out. Hes been saying that about the Donor Wall since he first brought it up, weeks ago. Since then, hes given me a generous number of only chances.
The president and others in his inner circle, including Donald Jr., have also sent me multiple limited-time offers to have my name appear on his birthday card. Ive been given about ten last chances to do this since mid-May, including one from Jr. that promised me priority access to sign my fathers Official Birthday Card before ANYONE ELSE. I missed all of these chances. But, who knows, maybe there will be others before his actual birthday on June 14?
But only if I act before 11:59 p.m. Otherwise, I am just going to have to wait until the following day.
This has been going on for years.
Kid Rock To Cancel Tour Stops At Venues With Covid Vaccine Mandates
Kid Rock kicked off his 2022 national tour with a video introduction from pal and former president Donald Trump.
Before the All Summer Long singer took to the stage at the Ford Center in Evansville, Indiana Wednesday night, Rock played a video message from the 45th President.
Hello, everyone. I love you all. I know youre having a great time at the Kid Rock concert tonight, Trump says to the cheering crowd in the short clip above . Quite frankly, hes amazing. All of you in attendance are truly the backbone of our great country. Hard-working, God-fearing rock-and-roll patriots.
Bob is truly one of the greatest entertainers of our time, he said, referring to the rocker by his real name, Bob Ritchie. Not the best golfer by any means, his golf game could use a little work, but a great, great entertainer, and thats why youre there.
Lets all continue to love one another, fight for our God-given freedoms, and most of all, lets make America rock again, the ex-president concluded, putting on a red MAGA-style hat that reads Make America Rock Again.
As soon as Trump finished his address, the stage lights went on and Rock broke into his inflammatory new song We The People which bashes President Joe Biden and Dr. Anthony Fauci over vaccine mandates and other policies off his new album Bad Reputation.
The song features a chorus repeating Lets go Brandon, the not-so-secret code for Fk Joe Biden.
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But Didn’t The Trump Campaign Say It Was In Compliance With The Tcpa And Fcc Guidelines
Yes, and that’s accurate. But that’s largely because the legal guidelines around these kinds of P2P text messages aren’t clear.
The TCPA and FCC have rules about abuse on autodialer systems that can automatically send messages or make phone calls. But there isn’t any guidance on these systems because they’re run by humans.
The CTIA’s statement about requiring opt-out language and prior consent are part of recommended guidelines to the industry for players like the carriers and senders like political campaigns. But the trade group has no ability to enforce these guidelines, which are more like mutually agreed upon practices than firm laws.
An upcoming may offer some guidance on the legal definition of phone spam.
Look What People Are Saying
CNN– Tim Ferriss, ‘The 4-Hour Workweek’ & ‘The Tim Ferriss Show’– Entrepreneur Magazine – Dan Kennedy, No B.S. Marketing to the Affluent – Peter Shankman, Help A Reporter Out – Sandra Sims, Step by Step Fundraising – John Kremer, 1001 Ways to Market Your Books– Steve Purcell, LookToTheStars.org – Paul Hartunian, Free Publicity Information Center – Dan Janal, PR LEADS– Anthony Record, Autograph Magazine– Robert Skrob, Information Marketing Association – Joan Stewart, The Publicity Hound
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Is This Really The Suppression Of Political Speech
A lot of these systems are flagged automatically or occur when customer complaints come in, so thats a hard case to make. Theres no evidence that the carriers or their partners are flagging and blocking these messages for reasons other than preventing spam.
The telecom companies are also far more reserved when it comes to staking out a political position, with the carriers previously having praised Trump for his large corporate tax cut in 2017.
When it comes to combatting spam, the motivation is primarily driven by the need to eliminate something most people find annoying.
Sending A Letter By Regular Mail
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British Elections Send A Message To Trump Gop And Bidens Democrats
If Donald Trump were at all self-reflective, he would probably be kicking himself right now as he surveys the results of last weeks British elections. Through his own mistakes and obstinance in his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, he might conclude that he kicked away his chance to serve a second term in the White House.
These were the first elections in Britain since Boris Johnson became prime minister in 2019 and Johnsons Conservative Party came out winning, both in local races and in a signature victory in a working-class, parliamentary district in northeast England long held by the Labour Party.
Johnson, like Trump, mishandled the early stages of the pandemic. Like the former U.S. president, he contracted covid-19, and had a far worse case, having been hospitalized and in intensive care for a time. But his later handling of the pandemic was less uneven, and this year Britain stepped farther and faster in administering vaccinations than other European nations. It helped.
The British elections were not purely about the coronavirus pandemic, but nothing in politics today is free from the viruss effects in health, economic well-being and the public mood. On the most important issue of campaign 2020, Trump was a victim of his own making.
As Republicans debate Trumps role and what it means to be a conservative, Johnson, like Trump, is rewriting the rules of what conservatism means.
Texts Come Hours Apart With No Clear Explanation For How The Money Will Be Spent
Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile
Former President Donald Trump is out of office, and has not announced any plans to run in the future, but that hasnt stopped his political action committee from bombarding his fans with daily requests for money and other support.
Months of text messages reviewed by The Independent reveal that supporters of the former president received at least one text message per day throughout the month of May, with some texts coming mere hours apart ahead of fundraising deadlines.
The donation links route money to the Trump Make America Great Again Committee, a joint fundraising committee that splits funds between the Republican National Committee , Mr Trumps 2020 campaign for president, as well as the Save America PAC, an organisation founded by Mr Trump to fund his future political efforts.
The frequency of the calls for donations rivals that of most active political campaigns, and suggests that Mr Trump is keen on maintaining a massive war chest throughout his post-presidency that means his endorsement carries huge financial weight in any local race.
Some texts sent to supporters via the automated service are designed to appear as if they were personally written by the former president, while others are signed by Eric Trump, Donald Trump Jr, and former first lady Melania Trump.
The Independent has reached out to the office of Mr Trump for comment.
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Who Should I Contact If Iam Interested In Vice President Mike Pences Official Records
Vice President Mike Pences Vice Presidential records arehoused at National Archives facilities in the National Capital Region. Theserecords are governed by the PresidentialRecords Act and will be available,subject to provisions of the Freedom ofInformation Act, beginning January 20,2026.
For more information on the records of Vice PresidentPence please contact:
National Archives and Records AdministrationArchival Operations Division – Vice Presidential Collections700 Pennsylvania Avenue, Room G-7Washington, DC 20408
So What Was The Problem
The volume of messages likely tripped up the system. But the potential issue may have been that the messages didn’t include clear opt-out language, and the senders may not have gained consent ahead of time.
While the carriers haven’t spoken about the incident, the CTIA, the trade group that represents the US wireless industry, made clear that recipients must be able to unsubscribe from unsolicited texts.
“We expect all senders — whether airlines, schools, banks or campaigns — to include clear opt-out language and gain prior consent before sending a text,” said a spokesman for the organization. “These simple steps help protect consumers from spam, and maintain text messaging as a trusted medium for everyone.”
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Hannity To Meadows: Yes Sir
In addition to the texts the committee has released, CNN and other news organizations have previously published selections of text messages Meadows received from Lee, Roy, Trump Jr., Perry and Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas wife, Ginni Thomas.
The logs obtained by CNN include numerous messages from official White House cell phone numbers. Some have been identified by CNN, others are unknown.
There are also numerous group texts with Trumps inner circle. The various group chats include Meadows, Ivanka Trump, Trump Jr. and Kushner, as well as top advisers such as Hope Hicks, campaign manager Bill Stepien, Miller and Scavino, among others.
Some texts only include links to news reports and social media. Others appear to contain content that was cut-and-pasted and forwarded. The logs do not contain images or attachments.
Meadows messages also include dozens of exchanges with Fox hosts, as well as journalists from the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Politico, Bloomberg, NBC, ABC, CBS and CNN.
Among Meadows most frequent interactions were those with Foxs Sean Hannity, a well-known friend of Trump. Throughout the logs, Hannity both gives advice and asks for direction.
On the afternoon of Election Day, Hannity texted Meadows to ask about turnout in North Carolina.
Meadows responded: Stress every vote matters. Get out and vote.
Got it. Everywhere, Hannity said.
Donald Trump Offering Personalized Messages On Post
Former President Donald Trump has a large and fiercely loyal following of supporters, and now hes given them a way to request a personalized message.
Trumps post-presidential website has a section where supporters can request a message from the ex-president and former first lady Melania Trump for a special occasion.
Its not uncommon for a former president to give people a way to reach, and you can request a personalized memento from former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.
Requesting a message from the Trumps is fairly easy and can be submitted electronically directly from his website. The form asks about the occasion, information on the recipient and requestor and any additional details the former president should know.
Receiving a message from Trump isnt guaranteed, though, and requires planning because it can take up to six weeks to get a greeting. The office wont provide status updates, either, and advises people to not resubmit a request because a duplicate request will supersede the original submission and delay processing.
Record high numbers of people turned out in last Novembers election, and although he lost to Joe Biden, Trump received the most votes of any Republican presidential candidate in history. He hasnt ruled out making another bid for the presidency in 2024, and a majority of his supporters are willing to back him as the Republican nominee.
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