Welcome to Tuesday’s edition of Washington Secrets. Today we reveal how Donald Trump’s top data lieutenant has secured a deal to collect data from World Cup soccer fans in Washington, D.C., and we ask whether the president has more in common with Joe Biden than he would care to admit …Brad Parscale was the digital elections guru who helped propel Donald Trump to power in 2016 using targeted ads on Facebook.Today, he has a suite of AI-powered tools that he says can sift data to identify persuadable voters and generate customized emails.
But what soccer fans in Washington, D.C., might not realize is that Parscale’s company is collecting emails and phone numbers from anyone who signs up for the FIFA World Cup 2026 watch party on the National Mall.
When Secrets signed up to join the official Fan Zone, a receipt and barcode arrived bearing the logo of Campaign Nucleus.
The company is better known for its political work. It raked in almost $2 million during 2024, for the Trump campaign and assorted Republican groups, running online registration for rallies, firing out campaign emails for other candidates, and sending press releases.
It is enough to give privacy campaigners and Democrats sleepless nights.
