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The USA Freedom Kids rocketed to a kind of creepy viral stardom back in January after appearing at a Donald Trump rally, but now they’re joining the long, long list of people and businesses who’ve felt duped and stiffed by Trump—and they’re suing.
It started in Pensacola. When Popick first reached out to the Trump campaign about performing, he spoke with various people including former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski. His understanding from the campaign was that the Kids would make two appearances in Florida, where Popick lives. The first event didn't come to fruition, and Popick says he asked for $2,500 in payment for the second performance, in Pensacola. The campaign made a counter-offer: How about a table where the group could pre-sell albums? Popick took the deal.
When they arrived at the venue, though, there was no table, Popick says. The result was "complete chaos," he said. "They clearly had made no provisions for that."
Popick, believing that he was owed some alternate compensation, tried to contact the campaign afterward, without luck. In addition to costs spent on promotional materials for the non-existent table, Popick says, he also lost several promotional opportunities due to confusion over his relationship with the campaign.
Later, they were invited to Trump’s veterans fundraising event (the one to cover for the fact that he was too scared of Megyn Kelly to appear at a Fox News debate), only to have their appearance canceled after they’d paid for plane tickets and hotel rooms.
As difficult as it is to have sympathy for the father/manager of a creepy kids performing act who saw Donald Trump’s campaign as a convenient marketing ploy, you can’t ignore the pattern: Trump breaks promises to small businesses all the time, at great cost to those small businesses. In this case, he and his campaign broke a promise to a fervent public supporter—and to children. If that’s how he treats children who publicly promote him, how’s he going to treat the average voter?
