Big-money donors are beginning to coalesce around former President Donald Trump after he has become the presumptive GOP nominee as he attempts to close the cash-on-hand gap with President Biden, who recently set a high-dollar fundraising record.
This weekend at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump will host an “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” that includes several Republican high-profile donors and signals the beginning of a major push to cut into Biden’s cash-on-hand lead.
The event will be led by hedge-fund billionaire John Paulson and will be co-chaired by hedge fund tycoon Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah, oil tycoon Harold Hamm, hotelier Robert Bigelow and casino mogul Steve Wynn.
Bigelow and Hamm had previously funneled money to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in his ill-fated presidential run against Trump in the primary. Hamm previously donated to former U.N. ambassador Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign as well.
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Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts and New York Jets co-owner Woody Johnson are also expected to be involved along with Wilbur Ross, Trump’s former secretary of commerce.
The event tops out at the “Chairman Level,” which costs $824,600 and includes seating at the former president’s table.
“Now that President Trump won the primaries, defeating all 10 contenders by a landslide, I think it’s time for Republicans to unite behind him,” Paulsen recently told Bloomberg. “For that reason, I’m hosting this inaugural event to galvanize the broad support there is for the president.”
The event comes after President Biden raised at least $26 million in a star-studded event with former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Many expect Trump’s fundraising haul to eclipse that record-setting figure and possibly raise around $43 million.
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On April 10, Trump will hold a fundraising luncheon in the swing state of Georgia with former Georgia Republican Sens. David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Top GOP donors are expected to attend, including Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, poultry industry executive Tommy Bagwell, beverage sector executive Don Leebern III and Buckhead advocate Bill White.
On that same day, Trump will be holding a fundraiser in Orlando, Florida, with attorney Dan Newlin.
“President Donald J. Trump has again created a fundraising juggernaut among Republicans. While he has been the presumptive nominee for the Republican Party for less than a month, the RNC and Trump campaign are one unified operation and focused on victory,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement this week.
“We’re raising funds and making strategic investments to get out the vote and protect the ballot. We are going to win BIG in just 31 weeks,” Whatley predicted.
Fox News Digital confirmed Trump and the RNC brought in $65.6 million in March and ended the month with $93.1 million in cash on hand. The figures include money raised by a number of fundraising committees.
The Biden campaign reported raising $53 million in February, ending the month with $155 million on hand.
While Trump trails with cash on hand, The New York Times reported in February that Trump leads Biden when it comes to small-dollar donors who gave less than $200.
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