Donald Trump will court billionaires at a $110 million Palm Beach mansion fundraiser on Thursday in a new campaign to court deep-pocketed donors as he appears poised to win the Republican primary.
Billionaire hedge fund manager John Paulson will host an intimate cocktail party and dinner that could feature Woody Johnson and Ronald Lauder.
Paulson has personally contacted fewer than 20 high-net-worth individuals, all of whom have previously supported Trump in fundraising, the sources add.
Rebekah Mercer, a prominent Republican donor whose donations to Cambridge Analytica in 2016 may have influenced Trump’s election, was also invited but is not expected to attend. Johnson did not respond to a request for comment; Lauder declined to comment.
While Paulson and Trump have been friendly for decades, the Trump camp is also beginning to sound out candidates who haven’t always been so positive about the MAGA agenda, sources told The Post.
Donald Trump speaks during an Economic Club of New York event at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in New York with financier John Paulson on September 15, 2016. AFP via Getty Images
They include GOP megadonor Andy Sabin, who had supported Nikki Haley in the primary but told her to “stay away” from his campaign last week. He told The Post that he received a call from Trump fundraisers about a donation.
While Sabin is quick to say that he will “hold his nose and vote for Trump,” that doesn’t translate into cash for the Trump campaign. “I won’t give you a cent,” he said.
Sabin also received a quick response from Haley’s team when he told him to resign: They returned his $6,600 check, Sabin added.
Trump’s lone fundraiser contrasts with a renewed push by Haley, who remains in the Republican primary and on Tuesday began a 10-day fundraising campaign with a reception in New York where co-hosts included billionaires Ken Langone, Henry Kravis and Leonard Stern. , Cliff Asness and Stanley Druckenmiller.
Andy Sabin at the screening of Unlocking the Cage during the 2016 Hamptons International Film Festival at East Hampton Cinema 6. Eugene Gologursky New York Jets owner Woody Johnson in the owner’s box during the first quarter of the game, at the MetLife Stadium. Charles Wenzelberg / New York Post
It also contrasted with a fundraiser by President Joe Biden in Trump’s home state of Florida, where he attended two fundraisers on Tuesday.
Biden has already raised $235 million since announcing his candidacy in April 2023.
Trump’s political finances are much more complicated. Some reports suggested that he already had an estimated $500 million in his coffers according to Open Secrets when he announced his 2022 candidacy.
But between donations to his campaign, his Super PAC and his legal fighting fund, it’s difficult to determine how much he has raised since his PAC money has been used to pay legal fees.
The campaign has raised about $70 million this year, while its Super PAC has raised an estimated $99.5 million, but it reportedly entered 2024 with just $23 million in cash on hand.
Nikki Haley, Trump’s former UN ambassador and the other Republican still in the primary, is on a fundraising spree in New York on Tuesday, kicking off a series of events. But he is still the favorite by some margin. Getty Images Joe Biden is also on a fundraising blitz, including stops in Trump’s backyard in Florida, where he landed at the West Palm airport on Tuesday, placing Air Force One on the same runway as the private Boeing 757. of Trump. AFP via Getty Images
With much of that money coming from small donors, some election observers are skeptical that Trump can continue raising large sums of funds without a few billionaires at his side.
Historically significant Republican fundraisers like Steve Schwarzman, Thomas Petterffy and David Duffield have yet to publicly endorse Trump.
But in recent months, Mercer, Home Depot co-founder Bernard Marcus, Crownquest oil magnate Timothy Dunn, and construction heiress Diane Hendricks have all begun to embrace Trump in recent months, Politico reported.
Other donors who embraced Trump early last year include Timothy Mellon, former Small Business Administration chief Linda McMahon, GeoSouthern Energy CEO George Bishop and real estate developer Geoffrey Bishop, according to the Politico report .
Robert Bigelow, founder and president of Bigelow Aerospace, speaks with reporters. REUTERS Frank Fertitta III and Lorenzo Fertitta at the ribbon cutting of the Durango Casino & Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Getty Images for the station casinos
In this fundraising cycle, Trump appears to be relying on lesser-known donors such as hotel magnate Don Ahern, casino billionaires and former UFC owners Frank and Lorenzo Fertitta and aerospace titan Robert Bigelow, who have not previously been seen as doers. of political kings.
Politico also reported that other donors, including Howard Lutnick, Jimmy John Liautaud of the Jimmy John meat fortune, Steve Wynn and Harold Hamm, are expected to get into the fundraising game when Trump hosts an event at Mar-a-Lago on next month.
“It’s inevitable that eventually most of the big names will support Trump,” one cynical Wall Street political donor told the Post of Haley’s departure. “It’s just a matter of time.”
Another source adds that Wall Street types will have no choice but to fall in line, given that Trump is positioning himself as a candidate with much better economic policies than Joe Biden.
“They have to recognize that their policies worked,” added another source close to Trump.
Former Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy, John Paulson and Steve Wynn at a primary victory rally with Donald Trump in a room. Getty Images Ahern Rentals CEO and President Don Ahern speaks at a campaign event for U.S. President Donald Trump at Xtreme Manufacturing on September 13, 2020 in Henderson, Nevada. fake images
But even if those on Wall Street “hold their noses” and vote for Trump, as Sabin recommends, that doesn’t mean they’ll be funneling millions his way.
“Trump would appreciate any financial support… it’s much more expensive to run this year,” adds a campaign fundraising source. “I don’t think Trump has to match dollar for dollar to win…the GOP always outspends 2:1.”
In 2020, Trump spent about $780 million, while Biden spent $1.42 billion, according to Open Secrets, and some campaign sources close to Trump predict that he will need even more cash this election than last time.
Paulson was one of the first major Wall Street financiers to back Trump’s then-risky presidential bid in 2016, serving on his economic advisory team and being proposed as a potential Treasury secretary.
He is worth an estimated $5 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and is embroiled in a nasty divorce while his wife Jenny demands that he receive at least $1 billion.
In 2020, Paulson continued his support and hosted a $500,000-per-couple dinner at his Southampton home; It is unclear whether she has political aspirations should Trump win in 2024.
Categories: Trending
Source: vtt.edu.vn