Donald Trump is aiming to catch up to President Joe Biden’s recent record-breaking fundraising haul with a glitzy event of his own in Palm Beach this weekend.
New York hedge fund billionaire John Paulson is hosting the party on Saturday evening at his $110m
Florida mansion. The former president, who is trailing Mr Biden significantly in the money game, is aiming to raise more than $43m which would far surpass the recent record. Mr Biden raised $26m at a New York fundraiser last month, where he was supported on stage by fellow
Democratic presidents
Barack Obama and
Bill Clinton. Guests who attended that event were asked to shell out $100,000 for a photo with the trio. Saturday night’s event, titled the “Inaugural Leadership Dinner”, will be attended by around 100 people, including several billionaires. Several of Mr Trump’s former rivals are expected to attend as “special guests”, including South Carolina senator Tim Scott, entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, and North Dakota governor Doug Burgum. Former
first lady Melania Trump will also attend. Co-chairs of the fundraiser include
Las Vegas businessman Robert Bigelow, New York grocery billionaire, John Catsimatidis, former World Wrestling Entertainment executive Linda McMahon, casino boss Steve Wynn, and former Georgia senator Kelly Loeffler. The Independent has contacted the Trump campaign, Mr Ramaswamy, Mr Burgum, and Mr Scott for comment. A $814,600 donation will get you a seat at Mr Trump’s table while for $250,000, you will receive a photo op with the former president and a personalised copy of his coffee table book featuring photos from his time in office. A major money haul from the event may shift the narrative around Mr Trump which has been that he is strapped for cash due to his multiple civil and criminal trials. Mr Trump and the
Republican Party announced this week that they raised $65.6m in March with $93.1m cash on hand. The Biden campaign has said they raised more than $90m last month with $192m in cash on hand. Mr Trump had initially struggled to attract big donors to his campaign, and a number backed his primary rivals instead. However, since his overwhelming primary victory, the Republican Party has united behind the former president. Donations to the event will be sent to the Trump 47 Committee – a joint fundraising effort with the Republican National Committee, state Republican parties, and the Save America political action committee. The set-up means that donations first pay the maximum allowed under the law to the
Trump campaign and Save America PAC, before the RNC or state parties receive the rest. Last month, the RNC chose Michael Whatley, the former North Carolina Republican party chair, as its new leader alongside Mr Trump’s daughter-in-law Laura Trump as co-chair. The Associated Press contributed to this report