Donald Trump has spent his political career insisting — without a shred of evidence — that his opponents are paying people to attend rallies, march in protests and vote
Which, of course, is rich coming from the guy who paid actors to attend the announcement of his presidential campaign in 2015, and whose billionaire fundraiser, Elon Musk, was sued for allegedly violating election laws by paying voters during the recent presidential campaign.
So, it makes sense that a jokester who would want to spoof the president would use the same gimmick.
Trump, allegedly fearful that attendance will be weak at his birthday-party military parade on Saturday in Washington, D.C., is offering to pay “seat fillers,” according to a Craigslist ad — which people are pretty sure isn’t legit.
Evidence that it’s likely a goof:
— The photo on the ad is a May Day Parade in red Square;
— The ad promises to pay individuals $1,000 in crypto, which could be a swipe at Trump’s meme coin scheme;
— The freelancers are encouraged to wear gold accessories, which undoubtedly is a finger-poke at Trump’s taste for golden gaudiness;
— And people of color and ethnic groups are assured of prime visibility, which is a jab at Trump’s penchant for placing Black and brown supporters in seats directly in the line of cameras during his rallies.
Here’s how the ad reads:
“T-Mellon Events is looking for seat fillers and extras to provide their time for space maximization and attendance perception for an event taking place in Washington DC on June 14th. Extras and Seat fillers will check in on the morning of June 14th at 9:00 a.m.Extras are required to wear Red, White and Blue clothing and will be provided a RED hat to wear. GOLD accessories are acceptable as well. The team will advise the extras where to stand or sit according to the line of sight from a VIP viewing platform area.Extras and Seat fillers will be paid a flat daily fee and will be provided a lunch of fast food and soda.We encourage people of color and ethnic groups to sign up for maximum perception control and these individuals will be prominently displayed on the televised broadcast and local viewing screens to be seen by the VIP platform.”
A number of Reddit users wrote that they were going to apply and, if the ad is legit, not show up.
The military parade commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary and coinciding with President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday will be a new spectacle for many Americans.
This will not be the first U.S. military parade. However, it is unusual outside of wartime, and Trump’s approach stands out compared to his predecessors.
The Army had long planned a celebration for its semi-quincentennial on June 14. Trump has wanted to preside over a grand military parade since his first presidency from 2017 to 2021. When he took office a second time, he found the ideal convergence and ratcheted the Pentagon’s plans into a full-scale military parade on his birthday.
The president, who is expected to speak in Washington as part of the affair, pitches the occasion as a way to celebrate U.S. power and service members’ sacrifice. But there are bipartisan concerns about the cost as well as concerns about whether Trump is blurring traditional understandings of what it means to be a civilian commander in chief.
The AP contributed to this report.
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