Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

International Business Times UK

Business

Akshay Puri

Dementia Patient Believed Donald Trump Was Personally Messaging Him — Then Gave Over $80K to Political Causes

Donald Trump Richard Benjamin Donald Trump Jr. Dementia United States WinRed Arizona ActBlue CNN

Political campaigns increasingly use texts and emails to solicit donations, raising questions about how elderly donors respond to repeated appeals. (Credit: This is an AI-Generated Image)

An 81-year-old man with dementia believed Donald Trump and other politicians were personally reaching out to him through messages on his phone. By the time his family discovered what was happening, he had made more than $80,000 in political donations.

Richard Benjamin, from Arizona, was featured in a CNN investigation published in October 2024 examining political fundraising involving elderly Americans experiencing cognitive decline.

Sign up to read this article

Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here

Top stories on inkl right now

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

The Stars and Stripes cruised to four wins during the fall international break.

Sports Illustrated

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge tells Tennessee officials all items in execution room must be saved as Pike remains restrained in hospital bed

The Guardian - US

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelan residents and immigrant advocates in Doral, Florida, are demanding that city leaders end their cooperation agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as anger over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown spills into the final weeks before the midterm elections.

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

A federal appeals court has vacated kidnapping convictions in a case involving the death of a 3-year-old boy who went missing from Georgia in 2017 and later turned up dead at a squalid compound in New Mexico

The Independent UK

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

Northern Command denies troops transported detainees, despite an Army review describing authorization for them to do so

Man Who Said 'Gay Ghosts' Made Him Stab His Girlfriend and Baby Is Found Guilty of Murder

Man Who Said 'Gay Ghosts' Made Him Stab His Girlfriend and Baby Is Found Guilty of Murder

Johannes Claasen was convicted of murder, attempted murder and assault after a judge rejected his account of a 2020 stabbing

International Business Times UK

Related Stories

Top stories on inkl right now

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

The Stars and Stripes cruised to four wins during the fall international break.

Sports Illustrated

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge tells Tennessee officials all items in execution room must be saved as Pike remains restrained in hospital bed

The Guardian - US

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelan residents and immigrant advocates in Doral, Florida, are demanding that city leaders end their cooperation agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as anger over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown spills into the final weeks before the midterm elections.

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

A federal appeals court has vacated kidnapping convictions in a case involving the death of a 3-year-old boy who went missing from Georgia in 2017 and later turned up dead at a squalid compound in New Mexico

The Independent UK

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

Northern Command denies troops transported detainees, despite an Army review describing authorization for them to do so

Man Who Said 'Gay Ghosts' Made Him Stab His Girlfriend and Baby Is Found Guilty of Murder

Man Who Said 'Gay Ghosts' Made Him Stab His Girlfriend and Baby Is Found Guilty of Murder

Johannes Claasen was convicted of murder, attempted murder and assault after a judge rejected his account of a 2020 stabbing

International Business Times UK

Our Picks

That Cute Squishy Toy Contains Water Beads — CPSC Says Stop Using It

A colorful squishy toy that looks like an innocent stress reliever may hide something parents cannot see: expandable water beads. About 37,000 Squishy Dumpling and Crazy Squib Ball toys were recalled on October 1 after regulators determined that their water beads could expand beyond federal limits and create a potentially…

Kids Ain't Cheap

103-year-old World War II veteran still runs a basement bar in Maryland that would be illegal to open today

At 103, World War II veteran Irvin Koch is still behind the counter at Irv’s Basement Bar in Maryland, a watering hole he has run since 1963. But there is a surprising reason his unusual home-based bar has survived for more than six decades: modern zoning rules would make it…

The Economic Times

Travis Barker hospitalised

Travis Barker has shared photos from hospital, where his wife, Kourtney Kardashian, and daughter, Alabama Barker, were by his side.

Man goes to Tim Hortons and sees some Harry Potter-themed donuts. Then he takes a closer look: ‘I was deeply concerned’

Those are definitely not going to the Hogwarts feast!

We Got This Covered

Ex-Dunkin’ worker says her paycheck was withheld. Then she airs alleged dirty laundry about drinks, creamers, and more: ‘When you’re not looking’

She allegedly was treated differently after getting a new job

We Got This Covered

Ultraprocessed Meal Raised Insulin More Than a Calorie-Matched Whole-Food Meal in Small Virginia Tech Brain Imaging Trial

Two 300-calorie meals with matching nutrients drew different insulin and metabolic responses in a small Virginia Tech trial. Here is what it means.

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.

Download on the AppStore

Get it on Google Play