President Donald Trump will appear as the guest of honor at a $580,600-per-couple fundraising dinner hosted by billionaire investor Nelson Peltz in Palm Beach.
In one of Trump’s most extravagant fundraising events since taking office, around 30 guests will attend Peltz’s $95million estate on Saturday night, just a stone’s throw from the president’s Mar-a-Lago Club, ‘the Southern White House’.
An invitation obtained by The Washington Post promises dinner and a photo opportunity with Trump. A Republican National Committee official confirmed around 30 guests are expected to help Trump’s re-election effort to the tune of $10million.
A source revealed guests include Ike Perlmutter, a Trump friend and chairman of Marvel Entertainment, and Louis DeJoy, fundraising chair for the 2020 Republican convention.
Those who have attended such bashes say that Trump is energetic and engaging, and unlike many politicians at such dinners, he usually eats – his favorite meal being a New York strip steak followed by a couple of scoops of vanilla ice cream.
In one of Trump’s most extravagant fundraising events since taking office, around 30 guests will attend Peltz’s $95million estate on Saturday night, just a stone’s throw from the president’s Mar-a-Lago Club, ‘the Southern White House’
Billionaire investor Nelson Peltz (left) is hosting the event at his 13 acre estate in Palm Beach, just a few miles from Mar-a-Lago, the president’s ‘Southern White House’
Trump slammed his fellow candidates in 2016 for selling out to Wall Street donors. He told CNN in January of that year: ‘Somebody gives them money — not anything wrong — just psychologically when they go to that person, they’re going to do it. They owe them.’
Trump has said multiple times that many New York politicians were indebted to him because of the funds he threw behind them.
Since October 2017, Trump has attended around 50 dinners or discussions with top donors, the Post reports, with tickets starting at $50,000 for all of those.
The RNC notes that the practice in no way unusual as Barack Obama would regularly host small dinners with his biggest backers.
‘President Trump is the most accessible president in history, both with the press and with supporters.’ RNC spokesman Mike Reed said. ‘These roundtables, which previous presidents attended as well, are an opportunity for our supporters to get an update on the campaign and his record as president, all things the president discusses publicly all the time.’
As of last month, the Trump campaign has around $200million at its disposal, party officials said. And further big fundraising bashes are planned in the run up to the election.
Trump will need them as Democratic hopeful Mike Bloomberg has vowed to spend ‘whatever it takes’ to beat him.
Bloomberg’s campaign has said he is prepared to throw $2billion on his run and even if he isn’t successful, back the Democrat nominee to the hilt.
President Donald Trump speaks to reporters before his New Year’s Eve party at his Mar-a-Lago property, alongside first lady Melania Trump. In one of Trump’s most extravagant fundraising events since taking office, around 30 guests will attend Peltz’s $95million estate just a stone’s throw from the president’s Mar-a-Lago Club, ‘the Southern White House’.
Bloomberg has also been dominating ad space, as he has already spent more than $200 million on advertisements and is paying social media influencers to post memes about his campaign.
Trump’s 2016 campaign was marked by his smart, strong social media – in particular Facebook – advertising strategy.
And a Facebook official said he never saw a more effective digital advertising campaign.
Both Trump and Bloomberg spent $10 million on TV ads that played during the Super Bowl.
Virginia is a Super Tuesday state, and in 2016 it went from Trump in the primaries with a narrow 2.8 per cent lead against Marco Rubio, who came in second in the state’s primary contest. Trump lost Virginia, however, in the general elections against Hillary Clinton.
Bloomberg has focused all of his ad efforts on Super Tuesday, as he has virtually ignored the four first primary contest states: Iowa, New Hampshire, Nevada and South Carolina.
Trump has made Bloomberg a target of the Democratic field, and on Thursday tweeted that he is a ‘loser.’ The tweet included a photoshopped image of the two at dramatically different heights and Bloomberg in an oversized suit
The former New York City mayor is a latecomer to the Democratic primary field, but has swiftly become one of Trump’s main targets.
The president has often attacked the billionaire candidate for his height, and claims he won’t be able to perform well at the debates should he qualify to make the stage because he won’t be able to stand on a box and appear taller.
‘Mini Mike is a 5’4′ mass of dead energy who does not want to be on the debate stage with these professional politicians. No boxes please,’ Trump tweeted Thursday.
Bloomberg is 5ft 8in and Trump is noticeably taller at 6ft 3in.
The former New York City mayor responded to Trump, ‘[W]e know many of the same people in NY.’
‘Behind your back they laugh at you & call you a carnival barking clown,’ he claimed in a tweet. ‘They know you inherited a fortune & squandered it with stupid deals and incompetence. I have the record & the resources to defeat you. And I will.’