Oklahoma state senators want 'MAGA' license plate designs, raising campaign finance concerns
- Two Republican state senators proposed specialty license plate designs for drivers in Oklahoma that includes two of President Donald Trump's campaign slogans.
- If approved, drivers in the state could select plates with "Make America Great Again" and "Keep America Great," for a $35 annual fee.
- Though the fee would be split between two veterans' charities and not directly support Trump's re-election campaign, the Washington Post reports that it could still violate campaign finance laws if the state uses taxpayer dollars or resources to make the plates.
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Two Republican state senators in Oklahoma proposed specialty license plates that, if approved, would display two of President Donald Trump's campaign slogans.
Two designs for the plates proposed by state Sens. Nathan Dahm and Marty Quinn include two of Trump's signature slogans, "Make America Great Again" and "Keep America Great," for drivers who wanted to upgrade their license plates.
According to the Oklahoma DMV website, the state already offers 93 different license plate designs that run up to $40 for car and motorcycle drivers to benefit a wide variety of charitable and special-interest groups, including the Boy Scouts of America, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP,) and the National Rifle Association.
The proposed Trump slogan plates would be available for a yearly fee of $35 and would not benefit the Trump campaign directly.
The proposal specifies that the Oklahoma Tax Commission would "enter into a licensing agreement with the corporation or entity designated by Donald J. Trump," and the fees collected would be split evenly between two veterans groups, the Warriors for Freedom Foundation and the Folds of Honor Foundation.
Dahm told Oklahoma City's News 4 that he thought the designs would be "a great way that people can support America and support those ideas of keeping America great."
Though the plates wouldn't directly benefit Trump's 2020 re-election campaign, the Washington Post reports that the proposed plan could still violate campaign finance laws if the state uses taxpayer dollars or resources to make the plates.
Paula Ross, a spokesperson for the Oklahoma Tax Commission that oversees specialty plates, told the Post that the agency doesn't approve "plates that are discriminatory, threatening or overtly political." However, those rules could be overruled if the state legislature approves the design, in which case officials would work with the Trump campaign to create an approved design.
"MAGA" merchandise, particularly the well-known red hats, became a widely known symbol of Trump's campaign in the midst of his 2016 run, and have since been immortalized in memes and parodies.
The hats, along with a host of other official merchandise, have been available for purchase through Trump's official website to benefit his campaign efforts.