David Axelrod
Role at the time: Political commentator and former senior adviser to President Barack Obama
Condemned
Statement summary
David Axelrod compared Trump's $5,000 video to selling Trump University on cable TV and said the promise was about as reliable.
“Like selling Trump U on cable TV. And about as reliable.”
Read the original post (opens in a new tab)David Axelrod on X: Trump's $5,000 video is "like selling Trump U on cable TV"Post on the verified @davidaxelrod X account, October 12, 2026, 2:12 PM Eastern, quoting Trump's video post.
David Axelrod's own X post quoting Trump's October 12 video about the $5,000 pledge.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Why we used this label
Axelrod compares the pledge to Trump University and questions whether it will be kept, criticizing the pledge under scrutiny as an unreliable sales pitch.