GOP presidential candidate offers $20 gift cards for $1 donations

• Candidates must receive 40,000 donors, including at least 200 unique donors in each of 20 states, to qualify for the August debate.

Driving the news: "The burden on American families caused by the Democrats is unruly, and Joe Biden is doing nothing to fix it," Burgum wrote on a WinRed page soliciting donations.

• "We want to help, so we’re offering YOU a $20 gift card, and all YOU have to do is contribute $1 to claim it," he wrote.

Jordan Libowitz, the communications director at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, called it the "single thirstiest thing" he's seen in politics.

• "In a way it makes sense that it's this desperate maneuver to get onto a debate stage to raise a profile, but it's weird," he added.
• "The whole point they have this threshold is because they only want actual, serious candidates on the stage," Libowitz said.

• A spokesperson for the RNC did not immediately respond to Axios' request for comment.

Zoom out: Entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy also announced a new fundraising scheme on Monday to give supporters a 10% cut of the total money they raise for his campaign.

• Ramaswamy has qualified for the August debate stage, his campaign previously told Axios.

Go deeper: GOP loyalty pledge draws heat from 2024 candidates