Caitlyn Jenner is using a campaign fundraising trick from Trump’s playbook that commits donors to recurring payments

• Donors to Trump’s election campaign were hit with pre-checked recurring monthly donations.
• The campaign tactic has been denounced by election officials.
• The tactic is now being used by California gubernatorial candidates Caitlyn Jenner and Doug Ose.
• See more stories on Insider’s business page.

Caitlyn Jenner, a gubernatorial candidate in California’s recall election, is using a campaign fundraising trick from former President Donald Trump’s playbook that commits donors to recurring payments, Politico reported.

Jenner, alongside former Rep. Doug Ose, who are both running as Republicans in California’s recall election against Gov. Gavin Newsom, have pre-checked boxes on their donation pages that sign contributors to make monthly payments to their campaigns.

A New York Times investigation found that Trump used a tactic where recurring donation boxes were pre-checked at the bottom of fundraising emails. Contributors had to opt-out, instead of opt-in, for the recurring charges.

The ploy was named the “money-bomb” and it left campaign finance experts stunned, Insider‘s Grace Panetta reported.

While it’s unclear if the tactic is illegal, it’s been condemned by federal election officials, Politico reported.

The strategy has been criticized for tricking donors into giving more than they intended.

The Federal Election Commission recently asked Congress to make it law that campaigns have to get “opt-in” agreements from contributors before they could make monthly donations. The commission said many donors do not realize when recurring charge boxes are pre-checked, Politico reported.

Politico also reported that Newsom’s 2022 campaign previously had a recurring monthly payment box pre-checked but it was removed since the outlet discovered it earlier this month.

Jenner is running on a platform of business experience and has said her experience in business makes her qualified to be governor.

“I have been in the entrepreneurial world. People think – you’ve been in show business, think of you as a reality star. Certainly, I’ve done that, but entertainment is a business, and you have to run that business,” she said.

The former athlete and reality television star has only voted in only about a third of the elections she was eligible to vote in since 2000.