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{{short description|U.S. advocacy organization}}
{{infobox organization
| name = America First Policies
| status = [[501(c)(4)]]
| logo = America First Policies Logo horizontal.svg
| alt = Logo of America First Policies
| founded = {{Start date and age|2017|01|27}}
| key_people = [[Linda McMahon]] (Chair)<ref name="leadership"/> <br>[[Brian O. Walsh]] (President)<ref name="impeachment">{{cite news |title=America First Policies Starts Anti-Impeachment Ads in Pennsylvania, Michigan |url=https://www.americafirstpolicies.org/updates/america-first-vice/ |accessdate=21 May 2020 |publisher=America First Policies |date=29 January 2020}}</ref>
| website = {{URL|https://www.americafirstpolicies.org/}}
}}
'''America First Policies''' is an advocacy organization created to promote the [[America First (policy)|America First]] policy agenda of the [[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|Donald Trump presidential campaign]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/31/512690691/trump-political-advisers-now-raising-money-for-his-america-first-agenda|title=Trump Political Advisers Now Raising Money For His 'America First' Agenda|work=[[NPR]]|accessdate=May 22, 2017|date=January 31, 2017|first=Jim|last=Zarroli}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://apnews.com/77133d470c634a458b3198063af4a14b|title=Trump advisers start 'America First Policies' nonprofit|website=Associated Press News|accessdate=May 22, 2017|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=January 30, 2017|first=Julie|last=Bykowicz}}</ref> 

On March 30, 2017, [[Katie Walsh (politician)|Katie Walsh]], formerly [[White House Deputy Chief of Staff]], left that position to join America First Policies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://time.com/4718902/white-house-staff-katie-walsh-departure|title=White House Deputy Chief of Staff Leaves for Pro-Trump Group|work=[[Time (magazine)|Time]]|accessdate=March 30, 2017|date=March 30, 2017|first1=Zeke J.|last1=Miller|first2=Philip|last2=Elliott}}</ref> The organization has courted controversy, as one of its directors was forced to resign due to racist and inflammatory comments and another adviser was caught proclaiming support for the [[Nazi party|Nazis]] on video.

==History==

America First Policies was founded by several people, including [[Nick Ayers]], a Republican consultant who is regarded as [[Mike Pence]]'s top political adviser,<ref>{{cite news|last1=Thrush|first1=Glenn|title=On Senate Health Bill, Trump Falters in the Closer's Role|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/us/health-care-bill-trump-pence.html|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|date=June 27, 2017|access-date=December 23, 2017|first2=Jonathan|last2=Martin}}</ref> [[Rick Gates (political consultant)|Rick Gates]] and [[Brad Parscale]].<ref name="sacurrent">{{cite web|url=https://www.sacurrent.com/the-daily/archives/2018/05/15/after-ushering-the-trump-circus-into-the-white-house-brad-parscale-is-turning-his-megaphone-on-san-antonio|title=After Ushering the Trump Circus Into The White House, Brad Parscale Is Turning His Megaphone on San Antonio|first=Sanford|last=Nowlin|publisher=}}</ref>

America First Policies and its affiliated super PAC, America First Action, have faced criticism for their high turnover of GOP givers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Balcerzak |first1=Ashley |title=Inside Donald Trump's army of super PACs and MAGA nonprofits |url=https://www.pri.org/stories/2019-02-18/inside-donald-trump-s-army-super-pacs-and-maga-nonprofits |accessdate=28 March 2020 |agency=The Center for Public Integrity |publisher=Public Radio International |date=18 February 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Trump political machine sets massive fundraising target |url=https://www.a1apac.org/news/trump-political-machine-sets-massive-fundraising-target/ |accessdate=28 March 2020 |publisher=America First Action SuperPAC |date=9 May 2019}}</ref>

[[Donald Trump presidential campaign, 2016|Trump Presidential Campaign]] donor [[Rebekah Mercer (donor)|Rebekah Mercer]] disagreed with Parscale about the direction of America First Policies. According to investigative journalist [[Vicky Ward]], Mercer wanted America First Policies' data engine to be [[Cambridge Analytica]], which would have effectively given her organizational control and potentially influence over the [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]]. If Mercer had control over the organization's database and the money, Mercer could have led the organization to sway President's supporters against the President.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/mercers/|title=The Blow-It-All-Up Billionaires|work=[[HuffPost]]|accessdate=May 22, 2017|first=Vicky|last=Ward|author-link=Vicky Ward|date=March 17, 2017}}</ref> Parscale aggressively sought to establish himself as leader of the group and commented in an early meeting that although he meant "no disrespect" to the Mercer family, the focus of America First Policies ought to be on Donald Trump and his political movement, rather than on the Mercers.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Goldmacher |first1=Shane |title=Trump advisers spar over new political arm |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2016/12/donald-trump-nonprofit-group-232798 |accessdate=28 March 2020 |agency=Politico |date=19 December 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Goldmacher |first1=Shane |title=Trump's political group plagued by power struggle |url=https://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-agenda-america-first-235983 |accessdate=28 March 2020 |agency=Politico |date=13 March 2017}}</ref>

==America First Action Super PAC==

{{infobox organization
| name = America First Action
| status = [[Political Action Committee#Super PACs|Super PAC]] ([[527 organization]])
| logo = 
| alt = 
| key_people = [[Linda McMahon]] (Chair), <br>[[Brian O. Walsh]] (President)<ref name="leadership">{{cite web |title=Leadership |url=https://www.a1apac.org/leadership/ |accessdate=21 May 2020 |publisher=America First Action SuperPAC }}</ref>
| founded = {{Start date and age|2017|04|12}}
| website = {{URL|https://www.a1apac.org/}}
}}

In the 2016 and 2018 elections, four Trump-related [[Political Action Committee#Super PACs|Super PAC]]s received donations from 38 people who gave over $500,000 each. To consolidate these efforts, '''America First Action''' was created for 2020. It is the only Trump-related group permitted to collect unlimited donations in 2020. However, as of August 2020, only six of the previous 38 top donors contributed to America First.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Thrush|first=Glenn|last2=Ruiz|first2=Rebecca R.|last3=Yourish|first3=Karen|date=2020-08-16|title=Trump’s Policies Are a Boon to the Super Rich. So Where Are All the Seven-Figure Checks?|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/us/politics/trumps-campaign-big-donors.html|access-date=2020-09-08|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>

The legally separate America First Action (as opposed to "Policies") Super PAC serves a similar function of promoting Trump's policies under the [[America First (policy)#History under President Trump|"America First"]] theme, but due to its legal status may expressly advocate for the election or defeat of particular candidates (rather than only advocating for policies), and must disclose its donors. Both organizations have overlapping personnel (such as the chair, president, and communications director).<ref name="leadership" /><ref name="impeachment" />

In the 2018 midterm election cycle, the Super PAC spent $29 million.<ref>{{cite web |title=Organizations Disclosing Donations to America First Action, 2018 {{!}} OpenSecrets |url=https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib_all.php?cmte=C00637512&type=A&cycle=2018 |website=www.opensecrets.org |accessdate=21 May 2020}}</ref> As of the end of March 2020, it had reported spending $9 million during the 2020 election cycle.<ref>{{cite web |title=Organizations Disclosing Donations to America First Action, 2020 {{!}} OpenSecrets |url=https://www.opensecrets.org/outsidespending/contrib_all.php?cmte=C00637512&type=A&cycle=2018 |website=www.opensecrets.org |accessdate=21 May 2020}}</ref>

==Donors==
It was reported in May 2018 that [[CVS Health]], [[Dow Chemical]], and [[Southern Company]] had donated a combined $1.6 million to America First Policies.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://maplight.org/story/southern-co-cvs-dow-chemical-funding-trump-dark-money-group-tied-to-racist-anti-semitic-views/|title=Southern Co., CVS, Dow Chemical Funding Trump Dark Money Group Tied to Racist, Anti-Semitic Views|website=maplight.org|language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-02}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/06/01/politics/kfile-cvs-trump-advocacy-group/index.html|title=CVS Health and Dow Chemical will no longer donate to pro-Trump advocacy group|author1=Andrew Kaczynski |author2=Chris Massie |author3=Nathan McDermott|work=CNN|access-date=2018-06-02}}</ref>

== Targeted campaigns ==
On June 23, 2017, [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Dean Heller]] was targeted with an advertising campaign over his opposition to the [[2017 Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act replacement proposals|Obamacare repeal bill]]. Heller was considered to be vulnerable in the [[United States Senate election in Nevada, 2018|2018 election]],<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/23/pro-trump-group-to-target-gop-sen-heller-over-health-care-bill-239911|title=Pro-Trump group to target GOP Sen. Heller over health care bill|last1=Nussbaum|first1=Matthew|date=June 23, 2017|work=[[Politico]]|access-date=December 23, 2017|last2=Isenstadt|first2=Alex}}</ref> and ultimately lost to Democratic challenger Jackie Rosen.<ref>https://www.cnn.com/election/2018/results/nevada</ref>

== Racism, anti-Semitism and bigotry ==
America First Policies' Director for Advocacy, [[Carl Higbie]] was forced to resign as head of [[Corporation for National and Community Service]] (an organization which runs [[AmeriCorps]], Learn and Serve America, [[Senior Corps]], and other national service initiatives) to which he had been appointed by Donald Trump, after making racist and inflammatory comments on a radio talk show about black Americans, Muslims, women, LGBT people, veterans suffering from PTSD and immigrants, which included advocating violence. Higbie also pushed the false [[Birther conspiracy]] about Barack Obama.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Kaczynski|first1=Andrew|title=Trump appointee resigns as public face of agency that runs AmeriCorps after KFile review of racist, sexist, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT comments on the radio|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/18/politics/kfile-carl-higbie-on-the-radio/index.html|accessdate=May 11, 2018|work=[[CNN]]|date=January 19, 2018}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Rosenberg|first1=Eli|title='I just don't like Muslim people': Trump appointee resigns after racist, sexist and anti-gay remarks|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/01/18/i-just-dont-like-muslim-people-trump-appointee-resigns-after-racist-sexist-and-anti-gay-remarks/|website=The Washington Post|accessdate=May 16, 2018|date=January 18, 2018}}</ref> In a 2018 tweet, Higbie apologized for his comments.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/18/politics/kfile-carl-higbie-on-the-radio/index.html|title=Trump appointee resigns as public face of agency that runs AmeriCorps after KFile review of racist, sexist, anti-Muslim and anti-LGBT comments on the radio|first=Andrew |last=Kaczynski|work=CNN|access-date=2018-08-02}}</ref>

On May 10, 2018, it became public that the group's policy advisor, Juan Pablo Andrade, was a Nazi sympathizer, after he was recorded on a Snapchat video saying that "the only thing the Nazis didn't get right was that they didn't keep fucking going."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.mediaite.com/online/watch-policy-advisor-for-trump-tied-america-first-group-praises-nazis/|title= Policy Advisor For Trump-Tied 'America First' Group Praises Nazis: They Should've Kept 'Going'|work=[[Mediaite]]|accessdate=May 10, 2018|first=Caleb|last=Ecarma|date=May 10, 2018}}</ref> Andrade has been on Trump's National Hispanic Advisory Council, Trump's National Diversity Coalition and the Trump campaign as a surrogate.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Blest|first1=Paul|title=Advisor For Trump-Linked Nonprofit Thinks the Nazis Were Great|url=https://splinternews.com/advisor-for-trump-linked-nonprofit-thinks-the-nazis-wer-1825942678|website=[[Splinter News]]|publisher=[[Gizmodo Media Group]]|accessdate=May 11, 2018|date=May 10, 2018}}</ref> He also wrote for ''[[The Hill (newspaper)|The Hill]]'', but the outlet dropped him when it learned of the video and its contents.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Levine|first1=Jon|title=The Hill Drops Pro-Trump Contributor After Remarks About Nazis|url=https://www.thewrap.com/hill-drops-pro-trump-contributor-caught-video-lamenting-nazis-didnt-keep-f-ing-going/|accessdate=May 11, 2018|work=[[TheWrap]]|date=May 10, 2018}}</ref>

Later that month, it was reported that [[John William Loudon|John Loudon]], a policy advisor for the group, used inflammatory and derogatory language against women, Muslims and Democrats.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2018/05/21/politics/kfile-john-loudon-tweets/index.html|title=Policy adviser for Trump-linked group called Obama 'Islamchurian candidate,' joked about 'crack whore Dem voter'|first1=Nathan|last1=McDermott|first2=Andrew|last2=Kaczynski|first3=Chris|last3=Massie|work=[[CNN]]|access-date=May 21, 2018|date=May 21, 2018}}</ref> He suggested that Obama was a Kenyan-born Muslim.<ref name=":0" />

In May 2018, [[CVS Health]] and [[Dow Chemical]] announced that they would not contribute more money to America First Policies, citing racist and bigoted comments by the staff at America First Policies.<ref name=":1" /> This announcement followed a report stating that three [[Fortune 500]] companies, including CVS Health and Dow Chemical, had contributed to America First Policies.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Perez|first1=Andrew|title=Southern Co. Joins Dow, CVS in Cutting Off Support for Pro-Trump Dark Money Organization|url=https://maplight.org/story/southern-co-joins-dow-cvs-in-cutting-off-support-for-pro-trump-dark-money-organization/|accessdate=July 5, 2018|work=[[MapLight]]|date=June 3, 2018}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* {{official website|https://www.americafirstpolicies.org/}}
* https://www.facebook.com/carlhigbiepublic/

[[Category:Donald Trump 2020 presidential campaign]]
[[Category:501(c)(4) nonprofit organizations]]
[[Category:Conservative political advocacy groups in the United States]]