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After Donald Trump sat down for an interview with a social media influencer whose past guests have included an accused rapist and an avowed white supremacist, the host gave the former president a Tesla Cybertruck as well as a Rolex watch in what could amount to a campaign finance violation.
Trump’s campaign has since said that it will seek guidance from the Federal Election Commission on how to handle the gifts. The internet celebrity who hosted Trump, Adin Ross, has not publicly commented on the gifts in relation to campaign finance laws, which limit individuals’ contributions to political candidates they support to $3,300 – far below the value of the truck and watch.
Ross, a 23-year-old professional video game streamer, has risen to fame by hosting interviews of guests such as Andrew Tate – who is facing rape and human trafficking charges in Romania – and the white supremacist provocateur Nick Fuentes.
He was banned from the streaming platform Twitch after he made homophobic and racist comments there. Ross has since moved to Kick, a Twitch competitor, to run his streams – and it was there that he hosted Trump for an 80-minute interview on Monday.
While far-right influencers are usually generous with praise toward Trump, Ross went beyond praise in his live stream with the former president and Republican nominee in November’s White House election against the Democratic vice-president, Kamala Harris.
“Wow! That’s an Elon,” Trump said when Ross showed him the Tesla Cybertruck. The car was emblazoned with a photo of Trump with his fist raised in the air after the failed attempt to assassinate him on 13 July.
Trump called the Cybertruck “incredible” and “beautiful”, and he seemed equally pleased with the Rolex that Ross presented him. However, Tesla Cybertrucks start at $60,000 and can reach $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 live stream mostly took place in the front seat of the car, with background music playing as Ross let Trump go on various rants.
In one of them, Trump said Ye, the rapper formerly known as Kanye West who has a history of antisemitic comments, “is a really nice guy”.
Though Ye has apologized for some of his comments after they cost him sponsorships and collaborations, he has faced criticism from groups which fight antisemitism, including the Anti-Defamation League.
Ye has also long been a Trump supporter. In 2022, Trump hosted Ye and Fuentes for dinner at Mar-a-Lago – an event that drew the former president some criticism. Trump ultimately said that he “never met and knew nothing about” Fuentes before Ye brought him to Mar-a-Lago.
“You know, he’s got a good heart,” Trump said of Ye to Ross. “But he’s complicated – Kanye.”
The passenger seat of a car is an unusual place for a political spot rallying supporters. But Trump has been trying to reach young male voters, and he has found the support of a handful of fringe influencers such as Ross who are willing to help him.
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It was the latest of a slate of appearances Trump has made with provocative influencers who have sizable followings of largely gen Z men. Trump recently posted videos with Jake Paul, an influencer and boxer who is not ranked by any of the sport’s major sanctioning organizations.
Earlier this summer, Trump sat with Paul’s older brother, pro wrestler Logan, for an interview.
Trump’s vice-presidential candidate, JD Vance, is also following the influencers, sitting for a podcast interview with the Nelk Boys, a group of Canadian influencers known for their controversial pranks.
The internet celebrities have millions of dedicated followers. Ross’s streams can get up to 150,000 regular viewers, with 500,000 people tuning in for his interview with Trump.
Trump told Ross that he was aware that the “youth tend to be Democrat”.
“Make the move now, all you young people,” he told viewers.