WASHINGTON — Less than a week has passed since one of former President Donald Trump’s legal cases culminated in a $355 million ruling by a judge in New York. Judge Arthur Engoron issued that penalty as a punishment for artificially enhancing the value of the Trump Organization's assets in order to win better terms on loans and insurance.
With threats of boycotts and other calls for action, the former president’s supporters say he will not be the only one paying the price. But as with so many things grabbing attention on social media, not all of the ideas have materialized or were true to begin with.
QUESTION #1
Did Jason Aldean and Kid Rock cancel a show in New York from their "You Can't Cancel America" tour?
SOURCES
ANSWER
Jason Aldean and Kid Rock will tour together, but they never planned any shows in New York
WHAT WE FOUND
Several popular social media accounts shared the news that Jason Aldean and Kid Rock were refusing to perform in New York as a show of solidarity for the former president. One of those posts came from an account of X, formerly known as Twitter, with one million followers. It had been seen more than 250,000 times before the author deleted it. Brigitte Gabriel, founder of the conservative organization ACT for America, called the duo's decision a "big deal."
It is not true, however.
The two stars are planning a tour together this spring and summer. The tour, though, is called “Rock the Country,” and their planned stops are in smaller towns in southern states. A video on the tour's official website announcing the tour and its dates does not mention any in New York.
The website where the story was first posted clearly states on its About Us page that its articles are works of satire.
QUESTION #2
Did truckers launch a large-scale boycott in support of former President Trump?
SOURCES
ANSWER
If any truckers have refused to enter New York City, their absence has not noticeably impacted the city's economy
WHAT WE FOUND
The notion of a protest by #TruckersForTrump originated with a video posted to X by a truck driver known as Chicago Ray. He said he had spoken with several other drivers in the aftermath of the civil fraud trial decision and they all said they planned to refuse any deliveries into New York City to demonstrate their outrage over the ruling.
He said more than 90% of long-haul truckers support the former president and estimated the boycott could last more than a week. He encouraged New Yorkers to stock up on supplies because the lack of deliveries would impact stores across the city.
Chicago Ray deleted his original video. In follow-up posts to his account, he said it got shared so often that his grandson saw it on TikTok, leading him to decide he was getting too much attention. He added that he did not intend to start a movement.
When reached via email, spokespersons for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, New York City Mayor Eric Adams, and the Trucking Association of New York all said they had seen no impacts related to boycotts from truckers.
QUESTION #3
Are Donald Trump's supporters attempting to pay his civil penalty?
SOURCES
ANSWER
Supporters have donated hundreds of thousands of dollars to help Donald Trump pay his fine
WHAT WE FOUND
A fundraiser started on GoFundMe.com implores donors to cover the $355 million fine imposed against Donald Trump.
It was created by Elena Cardone. In her description of the fundraiser, she calls the penalty an "unprecedented and unfair treatment by certain judicial elements in New York."
She and her husband, Florida real estate investor Grant Cardone, posted links to the fundraiser on their X accounts. They also said they would end any business engagements they had in New York.
At the time of publication, donors have contributed nearly $900,000 toward the campaign's $355 million goal.
Many social media users have said the fundraiser should be removed for violating GoFundMe's terms of service. They cite a provision against using the website to fund “the legal defense of alleged financial and violent crimes.”
In an email, GoFundMe told VERIFY simply: “The fundraiser is currently within our terms of service.”
Elena Cardone has not said specifically how former President Trump would get the money, but wrote in the fundraiser's description, "My lawyers are diligently working to ensure the funds are utilized properly."