Donald Trump is dining with billionaires on Saturday evening, trying to raise funds for his campaign and legal fees.
Trump’s campaign said on Saturday that the Palm Beach fundraiser and gala raised $50 million, according to the Associated Press.
This amount is nearly double what President Joe Biden earned at a lavish Democratic event in New York on March 28. According to the Associated Press, the Biden fundraiser smashed the single-event fundraising record, which Trump acknowledged on Truth Social Saturday.
“The biggest fundraising night of all time!!! I will double the Biden number from last week at Radio City. People are desperate for change. They want to “make America great again!” Trump wrote on Truth Social about the event, which is described as Trump’s “Inaugural Leadership Dinner.”
Biden’s campaign said on Saturday that it raised $90 million in March and currently has $192 million in cash. Meanwhile, Trump’s team is keen to catch up, having raised $65.6 million in March and $93.1 million on hand.
One anonymous source close to the Trump campaign told the Washington Post that Trump has been “focused” on gathering money. CNN stated that guests at the dinner paid between $250,000 and $824,600 per person.
One person involved in Biden’s fundraising told Axios that Trump’s “getting everyone to max out in April” plan was unsustainable.
The source told Axios that it’s a recipe for financial ruin in crucial months.
Trump arrived at the gala on Saturday, posing with his wife, Melania, who has been largely absent from his campaign over the last year but is now anticipated to play a more prominent role.
The Palm Beach gala, held at the house of hedge fund billionaire John Paulson, might help fund the former president’s campaign and increase legal expenditures, which include millions in payments to lawyers representing him in four criminal cases.
Proceeds from the luncheon will benefit the Save America Leadership Political Action Committee, one of two PACs that have supplied funding for Trump’s legal troubles, according to CNN.
