Donald Trump Campaign Offered Actors $50 to Cheer for Him at Presidential Announcement

Hollywood Reporter ^ | 6/17/2015 2:53pm PDT | Aaron Couch, Emmet McDermott

[SoConPubbie]

Donald Trump's big presidential announcement Tuesday was made a little bigger with help from paid actors — at $50 a pop.

New York-based Extra Mile Casting sent an email last Friday to its client list of background actors, seeking extras to beef up attendance at Trump's event.

"We are looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement," reads the June 12 email, obtained by The Hollywood Reporter. "We understand this is not a traditional 'background job,' but we believe acting comes in all forms and this is inclusive of that school of thought." (Read the full email at the bottom of the post.)

.@realDonaldTrump staffer not too pumped i took pic of "homemade" signs (passed out to people before event) in trash pic.twitter.com/zLL2ETBI79 — Megan Specia (@meganspecia) June 16, 2015

The pay was listed as $50 for less than three hours of work. According to the email, Extra Mile was reaching out to potential extras in partnership with Gotham Government Relations and Communications, a New York-Based political consulting group that has worked with Trump in the past. Gotham GR had no comment.

Questions as to whether the Trump campaign had hired extras were first raised Wednesday by anti-Trump activist Angelo Carusone, who came across an Instagram photo showing a man he recognized as a background actor posing at the Trump event. Carusone screengrabbed the photo of the actor, Domenico Del Giacco, and published it in a blog post. The photo shows Del Giacco with a woman, identified in the now-deleted Instagram post as actress Courtney Klotz. (Del Giacco has since deleted his entire Instagram account.)

 

When reached for comment about the Trump casting call, a person who answered the phone at Extra Mile said, "We don't know anything about that." When pressed about whether this response was a denial of the story, the person said she couldn't comment further and hung up. Additional calls to Extra Mile went unanswered.

Asked if Trump paid anyone to attend the event, campaign manager Corey Lewandowski said "no," and that he had never heard of Extra Mile or Gotham GR.

"Mr. Trump draws record crowds at almost every venue at which he is a featured speaker," Lewandowski told The Hollywood Reporter. "The crowds are large, often record-setting and enthusiastic, often with standing ovations. Mr. Trump's message is, 'Make America great again.' "

Del Giacco and Klotz did not respond to a request for comment.

In politics, "astroturfing" is when people are hired to attend a rally or event in order to lend the appearance of grassroots support. They are typically contracted out to political consulting firms, much like Gotham GR. The practice is unsurprisingly considered bad form.

Here's the full email from Extra Mile, with contact information redacted.

Hi there—

We are working helping one of are [sic] associates out at Gotham GR - http://gothamgr.com/ with a big event happening on TUESDAY 6/16/15.

This is an event in support of Donald Trump and an upcoming exciting announcement he will be making at this event.

This event is called “People for a Stronger America.” The entire group is a pro-small business group that is dedicated to encouraging Donald Trump and his latest ventures. This event will be televised.

We are looking to cast people for the event to wear t-shirts and carry signs and help cheer him in support of his announcement.

We understand this is not a traditional “background job,” but we believe acting comes in all forms and this is inclusive of that school of thought.

This event is happening LIVE and will be from 8:45AM-11:30AM. LESS THAN 3 HOURS

This will take place inside / interior.

The rate for this is: $50 CASH at the end of the event.

We would love to book you if you are interested and still available.

Please let us know and we will get back to you with confirmation.

[SoConPubbie]

"If we must have an enemy at the head of Government, let it be one whom we can oppose, and for whom we are not responsible, who will not involve our party in the disgrace of his foolish and bad measures." - Alexander Hamilton "We don't intend to turn the Republican Party over to the traitors in the battle just ended. We will have no more of those candidates who are pledged to the same goals as our opposition and who seek our support. Turning the Party over to the so-called moderates wouldn’t make any sense at all." -- President Ronald Reagan "A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice." - Thomas Paine 1792 "It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams "If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or your arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen." - Samuel Adams

[stars & stripes forever]

Trump is his own community organizer.

[AlaskaErik]

He's on my growing list of contenders that I absolutely will not vote for. Also on the list...Jeb Bush and Lindsey Graham, not that Graham will ever get any traction.

[Jane Long]

Let’s see the signed agreement.

[UCANSEE2]

I heard that Hillary offers $100 per person for cheers.

[Dallas59]

Trump Whitehouse...

[chris37]

False man is false.

But people in this country believe anything and everything.

[South40]

[Talisker]

ROFL!

[Dallas59]

Orange is the new White...

[AlaskaErik]

"It does not take a majority to prevail, but rather an irate, tireless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom tyranny in the minds of men." - Samuel Adams Saul Alinsky

[LucyT]

Apparently almost everyone rents-a-mob these days.

W. Bush never did.

[stars & stripes forever]

[Trump White House]

Would it include a gaming room?

[Dallas59]

First place tourists go on a tour...

[SoConPubbie]

Apparently almost everyone rents-a-mob these days.

W. Bush never did.

Cruz hasn't either.

[right way right]

“Trump is his own community organizer”

So is Satan.
Just saying.

[jonrick46]

I think this story about paid supporters is false. How would Trump prove that he did not? This is the type of slick demonization we will see in the upcoming campaigns. Are we smart enough to see through it and throw it back in their face?

[SoConPubbie]

Let’s see the signed agreement.

Hey Jane,

Did you know that Trump has donated hundreds of thousands to Democrats and Liberal to moderate Republicans, but never conservatives?

[Jane Long]

Like I said, upthread, let’s see the signed contract, where Trump hired these people.

[stars & stripes forever]

[Cruz hasn’t either.]

The TED CRUZ campaign has been a grassroots effort from its inception.