Donald Trump Jr will be receiving $100,000 to speak at a friendly lunch at the University of North Texas, much to the disappointment of the school’s president.
In a trove of email exchanges between UNT’s president Neal Smatresk and faculty members, which were released in a public records request, Smatresk said he was ‘not enthused’ the president’s son would be the speaker later this month.
The appearance has provoked controversy over its six-figure price tag and its political implications, according to the Dallas Morning News who obtained the correspondences in their records request.
Donald Trump Jr will receive $100,000 for a speaking at a lunch for the University of North Texas at the end of the month
An excerpt from Donald Jr’s offer from UNT for $100,000 plus expenses for the speech
Donald Jr’s lecture is scheduled for October 24 and is being marketed as a luncheon for ‘like minded people’ including business leaders and conservatives.
Speakers at UNT are often brought to the campus for students, however Donald Jr’s speech will be part of the donor driven Kuehne lecture series, which assists in raising money for scholarships.
Table sponsorships for the series start at $5,000 and go as high as $100,000 according to the Dallas News.
Meanwhile the brunt of Donald Jr’s speaking fee is coming from a tax advisory firm owned by Brint Ryan, according to UNT, but the school will be handling his travel expenses of up to $5,000 and will also pay for security.
In the series’ offer to bring in their featured guest, they promise to provide a complete secure VIP treatment from the moment he lands at Dallas Ft-Worth until his departure post-series.
In a statement to Dallas Morning News Smatresk said: ‘It isn’t surprising that some members of our faculty have strong opinions about the selection of this speaker and have chosen to express their viewpoints.’
The faculty wrote an ‘open letter’ about Donald Jr veing the featured speaker in which they say they are expressing ‘profound shock, dismay and embarrassment’ at the choice of speakers.
The university faculty in an open letter says Donald Jr does not have the life experience to be invited to speak as he was born wealthy and hired by his father
An open (and searing) letter from the UNT faculty on Donald Trump Jr’s speech
They also say that the president’s son does not have the ‘life experience to rise to this level; he was born wealthy and hired by his father.’ The letter also says his only national relevance has ‘served to embolden the alt-right on our campus and beyond on social media.’
The contract with UNT and Donald Jr says he will attend a small dinner the night before the speech, the next morning he will appear at the VIP breakfast, followed by his lunchtime speech and a question and answer period.
The questions will be provided to him ahead of time.
It’s not the first time Donald Jr was paid handsomely for a speech in Texas this year. In March he received $500,000 for the Dallas County Republican Party’s Reagan Day Dinner.