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Trump backers seize on GoFundMe controversy as truckers linger in U.S. headlines

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were among those who went after GoFundMe
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A protester carries fuel containers on Wellington Street, a day after police seized thousands of litres of fuel from an encampment in an attempt to quell a protest against COVID-19 restrictions that has been marked by gridlock and the sound of truck horns in Ottawa on Monday, Feb. 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Right-wing politicians and media personalities in the United States aren’t letting the crowdfunding website GoFundMe off the hook just yet.

The platform became a target over the weekend for prominent Republican lawmakers and state leaders after freezing more than $9 million in donations earmarked for the ongoing protests in Ottawa.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz were among those who attacked GoFundMe for initially saying it would redistribute the remaining funds among charities chosen by protest organizers.

The company reversed course quickly, however, promising automatic refunds to donors just hours after its initial announcement.

That isn’t stopping the right-wing media machine in the U.S., which continues to savage GoFundMe as they devote outsized daily coverage to the Canadian protests.

Donald Trump’s former White House press secretary, Kayleigh McEnany, described the protesters as “our freedom fighters” in a segment today on Fox News.

“These guys are the real deal,” said McEnany, the co-host of a midday Fox show called “Outnumbered.”

“They’re standing up to their Orwellian dictatorial government with all of these COVID edicts, and good for them. And guess what … they have the support of the people.”

—The Canadian Press

RELATED: Trudeau remained in Ottawa area amid anti-vaccine mandate trucker protests, PMO says