For several hours Saturday evening, motorists driving through a typically scenic stretch of Palm Beach, Florida, had their views of the coast blocked by a line of luxury cars whose owners were unable to drive off the road. It was mixed in with the mansion across from it.
The Range Rovers, Aston Martins and Bentleys blocking the coastline hint that wealthy donors are attending a fundraising dinner for former President Donald J. Trump's presidential campaign, and that the company and the national Republican Party The committee announced that the dinner raised more than $50.5 million.
The event was hosted by billionaire John Paulson at his home as the Trump campaign seeks to address long-standing financial disparities between President Biden and the Democratic Party as they prepare for the general election. This was carried out with the cooperation of the following.
The reported total cannot be independently verified as campaign finances are due in the coming months, but it is in line with the 2,600 that President Biden's campaign said it raised at a celebrity-filled event at New York City's Radio City Music Hall last month. That's almost twice the amount of $1,000,000.
Susie Wiles and Chris Lacivita, de facto campaign managers and former senior advisers to the president, said in a statement that the sum “shows us that we have the message, the strategy, and the money to help President Trump win.” It's now clearer than ever before.” November 5. ”
In some ways, Mr. Trump's event, just down the road from his Mar-a-Lago home, is less flashy than that of the Democratic Party, which traded Hollywood star power and New York City energy for warmer weather and affluence. There wasn't. Palm trees and manicured lawns are typical of island havens for the wealthy elite.
But expectations were high for the dinner, with Paulson and Trump campaign advisers vowing to surpass Biden's event. An invitation obtained by The New York Times suggested a donation of $814,600, or a relatively modest $250,000.
The money raised will go to the Trump 47 Committee, a common fundraising agreement between the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and about 40 state political parties, according to the invitation. These joint accounts can receive checks of up to $814,600.
Trump, who has long had a penchant for superlatives, predicted on his social media site Truth Social that the dinner would be “the biggest fundraising night in history!!!” was.
The former president arrived shortly before 7 p.m. with his wife, Melania Trump, who has been sparsely attending political events during her husband's third presidential campaign. “This was a great night before it even started,” Trump said before taking a photo with Paulson and entering the house.
About 100 people were expected to attend the dinner, with billionaires on the guest list.
The event's co-chairs included familiar big donors and Trump allies, including Rebecca Mercer, who became a major donor to Trump in 2016. Linda McMahon, former Trump Cabinet member. Robert Bigelow, who supported Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the Republican primary, donated $5 million to Trump's super PAC in February.
Not everyone who cut the check chose to attend. John Catsimatidis, a New York grocery store chain owner with a long history with Trump, co-chaired the event but said he was unable to attend due to other commitments.
Under a common fundraising agreement, the first $6,600 of donations will go to Trump's campaign. The next $5,000 will go to Save America PAC, the political account he has been using to pay for his legal fees. (This amount is the maximum donation allowed to “Save America” under federal regulations.) The RNC will get his $413,000 next, followed by dozens of other states parties. .
Mr. Trump and his team effectively took over the RNC, installed new leadership, pushed through layoffs, and restructured the National Party's operations to work more closely with the campaign.
Funding is a major focus of the overhaul, especially since Biden and Democrats have been putting cash in the bank and building significant financial advantages over the past few months.
The Biden campaign announced early Saturday that Democrats and related committees raised more than $90 million in March and had a combined $192 million on hand by April. The Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee said they raised $65.6 million in March, the former president's best fundraising month to date, and have $93.1 million in joint accounts.
Julie Chavez Rodriguez, Biden's campaign manager, said in a statement that the Democratic Party's fundraising numbers “stand in stark contrast to Trump's cash-strapped operation.”
Biden's donation total contributed to a glitzy event for 5,000 donors at the prestigious Radio City Music Hall. Biden and his two Democratic predecessors, former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, were interviewed by late-night show host and comedian Stephen Colbert.
Numerous musical guests entertained the crowd, including Queen Latifah, Lizzo, and Lea Michele.
Billed as special guests on Mr. Trump's fundraising invitation were three former major rivals who later joined Mr. Trump as campaign surrogates: South Carolina; Sen. Tim Scott, North Dakota Governor Doug Burgum, and Vivek Ramaswamy, technology entrepreneur.
Maggie Haberman Contributed to the report.