Big-money contributors are rallying around former President Donald Trump now that he is the presumed GOP nominee, as he strives to reduce the cash-on-hand difference with President Biden, who recently set a high-dollar fundraising record.
This weekend in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump will attend an “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” with numerous high-profile Republican contributors, signaling the start of a big drive to reduce Biden’s cash-on-hand lead.
Hedge fund billionaire John Paulson will lead the event, which will also 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 donated money to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during his unsuccessful presidential campaign against Trump in the primaries. Hamm has already donated to former UN ambassador Nikki Haley’s presidential campaign.
Scott Bessent, founder of the investment firm Key Square Group and former chief investment officer of George Soros’ Soros Fund Management, will also co-host the event. People speculate that Bessent could be a cabinet nominee in a second Trump government.
Jason Trennert, Strategas’ Chairman and CEO and one of Wall Street’s leading thinkers, will also attend the event.
Todd Ricketts, co-owner of the Chicago Cubs, and Woody Johnson, co-owner of the New York Jets, are all anticipated to be engaged, as is Wilbur Ross, Trump’s former secretary of commerce.
The event culminates at the “Chairman Level,” which costs $824,600 and includes a place 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 said in an interview with Bloomberg. “For that reason, I’m hosting this inaugural event to galvanize the broad support there is for the president.”
The gathering comes after President Biden raised at least $26 million in a star-studded fundraiser alongside former Presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Many expect Trump’s fundraising haul to exceed that record-breaking total, possibly raising about $43 million.
On April 10, Trump will host a fundraising luncheon with former Georgia Republican Senators David Perdue and Kelly Loeffler. Among the top Republican funders expected to attend are Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus, poultry industry CEO Tommy Bagwell, beverage industry executive Don Leebern III, and Buckhead champion Bill White.
On the same day, Trump will hold a fundraiser in Orlando, Florida, alongside attorney Dan Newlin.
“President Donald J. Trump has once again produced a fundraising juggernaut among Republicans. While he has been the Republican Party’s presumptive nominee for less than a month, the RNC and Trump campaign are working together to achieve victory,” Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley said in a statement this week.
“We are raising finances and making strategic efforts to increase voter turnout and defend the ballot. “We will win big in just 31 weeks,” Whatley said.
According to Fox News Digital, Trump and the RNC raised $65.6 million in March and concluded the month with $93.1 million in cash on hand. The data includes money raised by various fundraising committees.
The Biden campaign reported raising $53 million in February and finished the month with $155 million on hand.
While Trump trails Biden in terms of cash on hand, the New York Times reported in February that Trump outperforms Biden in terms of small-dollar donors giving less than $200.
