President Donald Trump has frequently accused protesters and activists of being paid by powerful liberal forces, but many the attendees at his own events were financially compensated to be there.
Despite his own disdain for supposedly paid protesters, Trump himself has benefited from people being paid to attend his events, both in his capacity as a political candidate and as president.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that union contractors working for a natural gas plant owned by Shell were told they would not receive pay for the day if they didn't attend an official Trump speech at the plant.
In 2015, a sub-contractor hired by the Trump campaign to produce Trump's campaign rollout at Trump Tower put out a casting call to pay actors $50 for attending the event and holding signs.
Mariela Szwarcberg Daby, a political science professor at Reed College, told Insider that Trump's actions are a clear example of political clientelism, or promising political support, such as turning up for a rally or voting for a particular candidate, in exchange for particular goods or services.
While clientelism is a common practice in the Global South, it's extremely rare in the US.
