Far-right Trump supporter Bill Mitchell ― a conspiracy-theory-mongering internet talk show host once described as the “post-truth, post-math” antithesis of polling analyst Nate Silver ― has recently made some enemies.
After asking his followers for $15,000 on a GoFundMe page purportedly to move his YourVoice America program from Palm Beach, Florida, to Washington, D.C., he relocated to Miami instead, and no one seems to know where the money went.
It all started in May, when Mitchell announced on his show and in numerous tweets that he was heading for the capital so that he could have direct access to lawmakers and other “movers and shakers” ahead of the 2020 election.
In a handful of posts on Twitter like the ones below, Mitchell asked his viewers to help him foot the bill for the move, which he said would occur within 90 days. For those who wished to donate, he circulated the GoFundMe link.
As of Tuesday, the fundraiser was less than $1,000 shy of its goal, meaning Mitchell may be cashing in on more than $14,000 for a move he never made.
On Sunday, Mitchell shared photos of his new home, showing two towering apartment buildings and a sprawling patio.
“Amazing things coming for YourVoice America,” he wrote.
But not everyone is thrilled.
Mindy Robinson, an ultraconservative blogger and host of online talk show “Red White and F You,” asked Mitchell why he “blew” the money in Miami rather than following through on his plans for Washington.
“Don’t you think you should return their money since it didn’t go to what they donated it for?” she asked.
Launching a vehement defense in response, Mitchell said his fundraising page “said NOTHING about DC,” claiming his followers will eventually realize that Miami is better anyhow, using the “Make America Great Again” hashtag.
“I sent a few tweets that mentioned DC but hundreds which did not,” he wrote. “The plan was for DC but Miami is MUCH better for #MAGA as everyone will soon learn but I am not yet free to divulge.”
Despite Mitchell’s repeated attempts at an explanation, criticism poured in from Twitter users who felt they’d been duped, with one wondering whether he had committed fraud.
In subsequent tweets Monday, Mitchell revealed that he had accepted an executive media position with search engine Yippy.com, which is headquartered in his new city. He added that he will continue his talk show, declaring that he was about to “blow the doors off the digital and political world,” though no details were given.
In 2016, Mitchell achieved internet fame for his ardent defenses of President Donald Trump that made him a caricature of the far-right, mocked by liberals and applauded by conservatives. Trump himself has retweeted Mitchell at least twice. That year, Mitchell was named 26th on a list of Twitter’s biggest election influencers by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab.