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Trump-branded cards were given out to those who donated $45 to Trump’s PAC as part of a fundraising campaign.

Other than physically having the card, and being able to show it to others, are there any benefits to the card?

Does it entitle the holder to discount rates at one of his hotels? Earlier tee times at one of his golf courses? Anything at all, other than just owning a few cents worth of plastic?

[Update] as @F1Krazy commented, maybe this needs some links to explain what a Trump Card is:

enter image description here

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    I think what this question is missing is context. I'd never heard of "Trump Cards" before reading this question. Having Googled it, it seems like Trump is selling these to (ostensibly) raise money for his political activities, which I think would make this on-topic, but you'd have to edit the question to include that context.
    – F1Krazy
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 11:41
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    Essentially, Are there non-political benefits to making campaign contributions to a particular (potential) candidate? does not seem like a useful question for this site.
    – Rick Smith
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 12:16
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    I’m inclined to say that this is on-topic as these cards were given to political donors. Giving out cards is actually a common fundraising tactic for political campaigns. Voted to re-open.
    – Panda
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 16:22
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    Not really sure how a fund raising item that a single candidate is selling is on topic for this site. Is this card really any different than any other physical item you can buy such as a hat or shirt? In fact I would say it is even less value since it is something you have to go out of your way to show someone.
    – Joe W
    Commented Sep 4, 2021 at 16:25
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    @Joe W: Hats and t-shirts have an obvious functional value in themselves, while bumper stickers and yard signs are pure advertising. Conversely, we usually think of a card as conferring some sort of benefit: a membership card, library card, bank card. Since cards are usually kept in one's wallet, there's no obvious advertising benefit, so it seems reasonable to ask if there is some sort of associated benefit.
    – jamesqf
    Commented Sep 6, 2021 at 16:50

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No, there are no benefits attached to such cards. Giving out cards to donors is a common fundraising tactic for political candidates. “Membership” simply means that you have made a donation and contributed to the campaign.

Together with campaign merchandise, it’s often used to attract supporters to donate to their campaign and become a “card-carrying member”. Sometimes, these cards are even touted as limited edition to entice supporters to donate.

Buy an item from a campaign store, and you are not actually purchasing a product; you are making a donation. According to Federal Election Commission regulations, candidates are not allowed to sell items for personal profit, so the product is the “premium” you get in return for your pledge.

To highlight how ubiquitous this tactic is, here are some examples of cards given by political campaigns / organisations:

National Republican Congressional Committee

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Democratic National Committee

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Become a card-carrying member of the Democratic Party by making a $7 donation to renew your membership today.

Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign

In 2016, Clinton’s campaign seized on a comment Trump had made and came up with the “women’s card” which led to a surge in donations ($2.4m to be exact).

Image

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    Nothing new under the sun.
    – Jontia
    Commented Sep 6, 2021 at 16:03
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    One could wonder what's the point of the magnetic strip on the last card...
    – Make StackExchange GREAT 4ever
    Commented Sep 7, 2021 at 4:21
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    @Fizz Is it even a magnetic strip, or just a black stripe across the bottom?
    – nick012000
    Commented Sep 7, 2021 at 4:35
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Does it entitle the holder to discount rates at one of his hotels?

That would probably be illegal. If someone gives $45 to a PAC, and then a corporation gives that person a $45 discount for their product or services, in effect the corporation is donating $45 to the PAC. Campaign contribution laws have provisions dealing with such straw contributions. Even if the reimbursement is only partial, it's still covered under campaign contribution laws.

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