Earlier in the day, Trump is expected to be in Miami, summoned over charges stemming from his handling and retention of confidential documents that he brought from the White House to his Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida. The former president has been defiant since his indictment last week, pledging to stay in the running even if convicted.
Trump is expected to join the fundraiser soon after he makes public remarks in which he will face prosecution, according to a person familiar with the plans. Fundraising preparations were underway long before it was known that he would appear in court the same day.
Polls show Trump with a large lead over his main Republican rivals. Yet Trump is facing a well-funded opponent in Ron DeSantis, who has attracted support from some of the party’s biggest donors. The Florida governor raised more than $8 million after launching his campaign in late May. The day after announcing his candidacy, DeSantis summoned his top bundlers to Miami.
Trump has long relied on small dollar donors to push him politically. The average contribution, those involved in his 2024 campaign say, is about $30. The former president attracted a surge in contributions online in late March after he was indicted in a separate case involving alleged secret money payments which he did to a pornographic actress, and his team has sent out fundraising appeals to supporters looking to capitalize on conservative outrage over the allegations in the classified documents case.
But aides say that, in contrast to his previous campaigns, the former president is also regularly working the phones to woo bundlers and other major contributors. Trump aides say they expect more than 300 bundlers to join the campaign by the end of June.
According to a copy of Tuesday’s invitation, supporters who raise at least $100,000 will attend a private candlelit dinner. Those who give least will be rewarded in other ways, including with photo opportunities with Trump and a « VIP reception with elected officials and special guests. »
The fundraiser will go to a joint fundraising committee that will split its proceeds between the Trump campaign, which receives 90 percent of all raised, and the Trump Save America Political Action Committee, which receives the remainder. 10 percent. Trump has used the PAC to pay for non-campaign-specific activities, such as paying his legal fees.
