Former U.S. President Donald Trump delivers remarks during an event following his arraignment on classified document charges, at Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, Recent Jersey, U.S., June 13, 2023.
Amr Alfiky | Reuters
Former President Donald Trump met privately with greater than two dozen top donors and supporters Tuesday night, as he sought to rally wealthy donors and supporters to his cause hours after his arraignment on greater than three dozen federal felony charges.
Trump hosted the group, in addition to aides, for a “candlelight dinner” at his golf course in Bedminster, Recent Jersey. To get a seat on the meal, supporters had to lift or donate $100,000 toward his 2024 run for the White House, based on invitations to the event.
Trump’s transient remarks to the group echoed the speech he made earlier that evening outside the clubhouse. He railed against the federal indictment charging him with willfully retaining scores of documents that contained a few of the nation’s most sensitive military secrets, based on people accustomed to the private comments.
Trump had just returned to his golf course after being arraigned and pleading not guilty in a Miami federal courthouse. Trump ally Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., also attended the dinner, said the people, who declined to be named because they were discussing a personal event. Tuberville had come to Bedminster ahead of Trump’s public speech. A Tuberville spokesman didn’t reply to a request for comment.
Donors, based on one among the attendees, munched on a few of Trump’s favorite meals, including crab cakes and burgers, while sipping on wine and cocktails.
Trump, who turned 77 Wednesday, is the clear leader within the 2024 Republican primary field.
The small group of wealthy donors who met with Trump spoke after meeting with the previous president, saying they may double down on their support. Their continued loyalty could help him raise tens of millions as he battles GOP rivals and various legal challenges. In April, he pleaded not guilty to state charges in Recent York, and he faces two more criminal probes, including an election interference investigation in Georgia.
The event raised greater than $2 million, Trump’s campaign confirmed to CNBC. The fundraiser was officially scheduled before Trump was indicted on federal charges.
“Voters, donors, and activists are all energized to send President Trump back to the White House,” Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said in a press release to CNBC.
While these donors lack the notoriety of previous Trump backers corresponding to Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and tech investor Peter Thiel, their loyalty matches the intensity of the previous president’s small-dollar donors and GOP primary voters.
Businessman and real estate executive Stan Pate posted on his Facebook page that he was on the Trump fundraising event.
“My message to President Trump this evening at Bedminster ‘Rattling the Torpedoes, Full speed ahead’!” he wrote on Facebook page alongside an image of him standing outside the golf course clubhouse. Pate gave $500,000 last yr through one among his corporations to Make America Great Again Inc., an excellent PAC backing Trump.
Pate didn’t reply to a Tuesday call looking for comment.
A Morning Seek the advice of poll, which was taken from the day the federal indictment was unsealed on June 9 until June 11, shows Trump still leads with 59% of support from potential GOP primary voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is second with 19%.
The support from core Trump supporters contrasts with big money efforts to take him down. The Koch network has unleashed digital advertisements against the ex-president, with one declaring: “Trump cannot win.”
Rivals, including DeSantis, have been turning to wealthier donors to assist tackle the front-runner.