On August 5, Adin Ross hosted U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump for an interview on his Kick stream, but the streamer has been accused of violating Federal Election Campaign (FEC) regulations during the broadcast.
Just days after an appearance and interview at the National Association of Black Journalists, the former president arrived for more of a lowkey affair when he agreed to take on the livestreaming world alongside Adin Ross.
While it was mostly a lighthearted experience, some astute observers were quick to point out that Ross may have violated FEC regulations when he gave Trump not one, but two very expensive gifts.
Adin gave Trump both a Rolex Day Date, which retails new for over $30,000, and a Tesla Cybertruck wrapped with the viral image of Trump standing defiant after the assassination attempt on him on July 13.
Adin Ross just gifted Donald Trump a custom Cybеrtruck pic.twitter.com/OvuwYxMLbT
— Dexerto (@Dexerto) August 5, 2024
Combined the gifts likely amount to over $100,000 — and as gifts to a presidential candidate, this could be an FEC violation.
The FEC states that individuals can provide a maximum contribution of $3,300 to a campaign, with gifts included in that limit.
Brendan Fischer, the deputy executive director of watchdog group Documented, which investigates money in politics, told Rolling Stone that the gifts were “provided to Trump in his capacity as a candidate and because he is running for office, and are therefore considered contributions” to his campaign.
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Fischer added: “I suspect that once Trump talks to his lawyers, we’ll get an announcement that he is turning down the gifts or donating them to charity.”
Karoline Leavitt, the Trump campaign’s press secretary, also told Rolling Stone that the campaign “will submit an advisory opinion to the FEC to seek guidance on how to handle the gifts.”
Streamer Adin Ross gives Trump a Rolex — it looks something like a gold Daydate with a green dial, which would definitely be above the $3300 FEC contribution limit. pic.twitter.com/MQt5DVRqfr
— Will Sommer (@willsommer) August 5, 2024
The watch and the car would be considered an illegal contribution, but Trump could reject the gifts formally and Adin plead ignorance to the law, with Fischer stating that it’s unlikely the FEC would “spend too much time on the matter.”
The broadcast became Adin’s most viewed stream ever, totaling over 583k viewers at its peak — just shy of winning the $100,000 bet Ross placed with the Kick CEO that the stream would garner over 600k peak.
This isn’t the first time a president has had to turn down a watch as a gift, as President Nixon did the same in 1969, when Omega offered him a gold Speedmaster after the NASA astronauts traveled to the moon with the classic piece.