GoFundMe page is created to ‘buy ladders’ to help scale Trump’s border wall… and it’s already raised £15k in a day
The fundraiser was launched to 'troll' Trump supporters pledging money to build the controversial barrier
THOUSANDS of pounds have been pledged to buy “ladders to get over Trump’s wall” to help migrants trying to cross from Mexico into the US.
The tongue-in-cheek campaign was set up in response to an alternative fundraiser, which is trying to raise US $1billion to pay for construction of the border barrier.
Brian Kolfage, an Air Force veteran, launched his page last Sunday to help fund President Donald Trump's controversial wall, in the wake of the migrant caravan.
And in less than a week he managed to secure a whopping £8.9m ($US$11.6m) in donations – a big leap towards reaching his fundraising goal of $1 billion.
On his build-the-wall fundraising page, Kolfage said the border could be built if everyone who voted for Trump pledged $80 each.
"As a veteran who has given so much, three limbs, I feel deeply invested to this nation to ensure future generations have everything we have today," Kolfage wrote.
A triple amputee injured in the Iraq War in 2004, Kolfage said he has contacted the Trump administration about where to send the money once the fundraiser ends, reports Associated Press.
However, yesterday an alternative campaign was started to buy “ladders to get over Trump’s wall” in response to Kolfage’s efforts.
Charlotte Clymer, an Army veteran and communications specialist for the Human Rights Campaign, created the page – also on – to help “migrant siblings and fellow human beings who are fleeing violence and persecution”.
She adds: “We wanna make sure ladders are ready to send over to our undocumented friends and help them.
“Should we not reach our [$100m] goal, all funds raised will go to the Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services (RAICES).
“[This is] a Texas-based non-profit agency that promotes justice by providing free and low-cost services to underserved immigrant children, families and refugees.”
As of tonight, the page has received pledges to the tune of £62,000 ($78,000), and it has been shared more than 210,000 times on Facebook.
Clymer set up the page when news broke of Kolfage’s campaign going viral and someone joked on Twitter: “Should we crowdsource money for ladders just to troll them?”
After seeing @HoarseWhisperer’s tweet, Clymer decided to do something.
She told : “I was really stunned when I heard of the border wall GoFundMe.
"More than being angry, I was sad at the blatant racism of donating money to a wall that will not be built, a wall that won’t work.”
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Trump announced yesterday that he would not sign a bill to keep funding the government because it fails to provide billions for his border wall.
It was his second reversal in a matter of days after conservative allies and pundits accused him of backing down on a central campaign promise.
His decision has thrown Congress into disarray and risked a federal shutdown this weekend.