On May 21, 2024, Donald Trump's campaign launched a new platform to accept cryptocurrency donations. This move follows a similar initiative by Robert Kennedy Jr. several months ago. As major candidates start embracing digital currencies, it's time to raise important questions about the future of campaign finance and the evolving landscape of political fundraising.

Crypto donations, by their nature, can be anonymous and transferred from anywhere, potentially undermining the integrity of the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) which strictly prohibits foreign nationals from making contributions or donations in connection with any U.S. election, including contributions to political committees or for electioneering communications (52 U.S.C. § 30121).

A 2014 FEC Advisory Opinion titled "Bitcoin Contributions" allowed political committees to accept Bitcoin donations up to $100 per individual as in-kind contributions, this ruling created a legal framework for integrating cryptocurrencies into political campaigns but left many loopholes unaddressed.

In an exclusive investigation for Geo, I tested Trump’s new crypto donation platform. As a foreign national residing in Chile, I attempted to make a cryptocurrency donation to the campaign to explore how the platform handles compliance with U.S. election laws.

Implemented by Coinbase, the donation platform supports Metamask, a digital wallet known for its privacy features, which can obscure the donor's identity and location.

Despite the clear legal prohibitions under the Federal Election Campaign Act (FECA) against foreign nationals contributing to U.S. elections, https://www.donaldjtrump.com/crypto, did not appear to have any robust mechanisms in place to verify my identity or nationality.

I filled out the donation form under the pseudonym John John, using a fake email and a random US address. After selecting a donation amount of $20.24, I linked my Metamask wallet and was immediately prompted to sign the transaction on the Coinbase commerce platform. My intention was solely investigative, not to violate federal regulations, so I did not complete the transaction to avoid breaking the law.

This raises serious concerns about Trump's new crypto donation system ability to adhere to federal regulations and prevent illegal contributions.

My findings suggest a need for more stringent verification processes to be implemented by Coinbase, as well as more control and updated regulations from the FEC. The ease with which I could initiate a donation without proper identity verification indicates significant gaps in the current approach.

To uphold the integrity of campaign finance laws, services facilitating cryptocurrency donations must enforce robust verification mechanisms to ensure compliance and prevent illegal contributions. This is essential to maintaining transparency and fairness in the electoral process.