OPINION: This article may contain commentary which reflects the author's opinion.
Former President Donald Trump is facing legal headwinds during the current election cycle, thanks to indictments by Democratic district attorneys and Joe Biden’s Justice Department, but he has still managed to garner renewed support that he’ll need to win back the White House.
A report from Fox News states that several billionaire donors intend to offer their support to Trump now that he has essentially won the Republican nomination for the November presidential election. This is a positive development for the Trump campaign, which aims to reduce the fundraising gap with Biden.
The former president’s campaign announced that it raised a staggering $50.5 million during a Saturday evening fundraiser in West Palm Beach, Fla., CNN reported. The total close to doubles the record set by Biden’s campaign last week in New York when it raised $26 million at an event that featured former Presidents Bill Clinton and Obama.
The “Inaugural Leadership Dinner” was held at the home of billionaire investor John Paulson.
“Tonight will be an incredible night for President Trump and the Republican Party, raising an astounding $50.5 million,” Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles, Trump campaign senior advisors. “Meanwhile, after locking up the nomination in one of the fastest primaries in modern political history, Donald J. Trump is winning poll after poll and proving that the enthusiasm is on his side. It’s clearer than ever that we have the message, the operation, and the money to propel President Trump to victory on November 5.”
“The success of tonight’s event is proving what we already know: Americans are fed up with Biden’s record of failure, from the open southern border and sky-high inflation to the migrant crime crisis that has made everyone less safe,” RNC Chairman Michael Whatley and Co-Chairman Lara Trump said. “The Republican Party is united behind the effort to elect President Donald J. Trump, and Americans are lining up to join our movement and retire Crooked Joe Biden once and for all.”
Former first lady Melania Trump was thrilled with the event and, on her way into the fundraiser, said, “This has been some incredible evening before it even starts because people want to contribute to a cause of making America great again.”
The event showed that donors, some of whom had been supporting Florida Gov. Ron De Santis and former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley in the Republican primary, are starting to support the former president.
The Epoch Times reported that Warren Stephens, one of the megadonors who backed Haley, was named a co-chair of the event.
“According to Federal Election Commission records, Warren Stephens and his wife, Harriet Stephens, gave $2 million to a hybrid political action committee—SFA Fund Inc.—to support Ms. Haley’s candidacy in 2023,” the report said.
“In January 2024, Warren Stephens, Harriett Stephens, and Laura Stephens, a senior marketing communication manager at Stephens Inc., sent a collective $1 million to SFA Fund,” it said.
The top donation at the event was “Chairman Level,” which was priced at $824,600 and allowed the donor to be seated at the same table as the former president.
“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 to Bloomberg. “For that reason, I’m hosting this inaugural event to galvanize the broad support there is for the president.”
Biden’s fundraiser took place amid the funeral of slain NYPD officer Jonathan Diller, 31, who was shot and killed by a career criminal with more than two dozen arrests.
By comparison, Trump attended Diller’s wake at the St. Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, where thousands of NYPD officers lined the streets to pay their last respects.
JUST IN: Thousands of New York police gather for slain NYPD Officer Jonathan Diller’s funeral today. pic.twitter.com/yvmQHELsEy
— Citizen Free Press (@CitizenFreePres) March 30, 2024
