After Donald Trump was brought together to interview a social media influencer whose guests include a former rapist and a self-described white supremacist, the host gifted the former president a Tesla Cybertruck and a Rolex watch in what could be considered an election financing violation.
Trump’s campaign has since said it will seek guidance from the Federal Election Commission on how to handle the gifts. Adin Ross, the internet celebrity who hosted Trump, has not commented publicly on the gifts due to campaign finance laws. Those laws limit contributions from individuals to political candidates they support to $3,300. That’s well below the value of the truck and watch.
Ross, 23, a professional video game streamer, rose to fame after interviewing guests including Andrew Tate, who is facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania, and white supremacist provocateur Nick Fuentes.
Banned from streaming platform Twitch after making homophobic and racist comments there, Ross has since moved to Twitch competitor Kick to manage his streams, which is where he hosted Trump for an 80-minute interview on Monday.
While far-right influencers are often generous in their praise for Trump, Ross went above and beyond in his livestream with Trump, the former president and GOP nominee running against Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris in the November White House race.
“Wow! That’s Elon,” Trump said when Ross showed him the Tesla Cybertruck, which was adorned with a photo of Trump raising his fist in the air after the failed July 13 assassination attempt.
Trump called the Cybertruck “incredible” and “beautiful,” and appeared equally pleased with the Rolex Ross gifted him. However, Tesla Cybertrucks start at $60,000 and can go up to $100,000 with trimmings. And the cheapest Rolex watches start at $5,000, meaning Ross’s gifts to Trump far exceeded federal limits for such political candidate contributions.
The livestream took place mostly from the front seat of the vehicle, with music playing in the background as Ross hurled various expletives at Trump.
In one of these appearances, Trump said that rapper Ye, formerly known as Kanye West and known for anti-Semitic comments, was “a really good guy.”
Although Ye apologized for some of his comments that cost him sponsorships and collaborations, he drew criticism from groups that combat anti-Semitism, including the Anti-Defamation League.
Ye has also long supported Trump. In 2022, Trump invited Ye and Fuentes to dinner at Mar-a-Lago, an event that drew some criticism from the former president. Trump said he had “never met and knew nothing about” Fuentes before Ye eventually brought him to Mar-a-Lago.
“You know, he’s got a good heart,” Trump told Ross of Ye. “But he’s complicated — Kanye.”
The passenger seat of a car is an unlikely place for a political rallying point. But Trump is trying to reach young male voters and has found the support of a handful of fringe influencers like Ross who are willing to help him.
Post-bulletin promotion
It was the latest in a series of appearances Trump has made with provocative influencers with significant followings largely made up of Gen Z males. Trump has recently posted videos with Jake Paul, an influencer and boxer who is not ranked by any of the sport’s major sanctioning organizations.
Trump interviewed Paul’s older brother and professional wrestler Logan earlier this summer.
Trump’s vice presidential candidate JD Vance also follows influential figures and has been interviewed on a podcast by the Nelk Boys, a group of Canadian influencers known for their controversial jokes.
Internet celebrities have millions of devoted followers. Ross’s streams can reach up to 150,000 regular viewers, and his interview with Trump has been watched by 500,000 people.
“I realize that young people tend to be Democrats,” Trump told Ross.
“Young people, take action now,” he told the audience.