Donald Trump’s campaign said it raised $50.5 million at a Saturday fundraiser in Florida, a staggering sum as the former president’s political operation scrambles to close its big financial gap with President Joe Biden and the Democratic Party.
The haul announced by the campaign and top officials with the Republican National Committee far eclipses the $26 million that Biden reported collecting recently at a star-studded gathering in New York City that featured former Presidents Bill Clinton and Barack Obama. The Trump total from the “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of billionaire investor John Paulson sets a record for a single fundraising event.
“It’s clearer than ever that we have the message, the operation, and the money to propel President Trump to victory on November 5,” Trump campaign senior advisers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles said in a statement.
Heading into the fundraiser Saturday night with his wife, Melania Trump, the former president boasted that “this has been some incredible evening before it even starts because people, they want to contribute to a cause of making America great again.”
The closed-door event signals that some of the GOP’s biggest donors are rallying behind Donald Trump as the general election showdown with Biden swings into gear.
An array of wealthy GOP figures were billed as event “co-chairs,” including hedge fund billionaire Robert Mercer and his daughter Rebekah; oil tycoon Harold Hamm; hotelier and space entrepreneur Robert Bigelow; and casino mogul Steve Wynn, according to an invitation obtained by CNN.
The price tag for the fundraiser ranged from $250,000 per person for those serving on the “host committee” to $824,600 per person to serve as a “chairman.” Perks for those…
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