Staff Reports
Former President Donald Trump made his way to the West Coast this week for a fundraising tour to raise loads of money for his financial war chest. His campaign proudly reported bringing in nearly $53 million in the 24 hours after he was found guilty of falsifying business records in a hush-money scheme. This trial, which Republicans say is just political jockeying, brought the campaign and the Republican National Committee a whopping $141 million in May.
A San Francisco fundraising event on Thursday, hosted by Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Sacks and investor Chamath Palihapitiya, brought in $12 million. They charged couples $500,000 to attend this ritzy event, which started at $50,000 for the reception and a photo, and climbed to $300,000 per person to attend the dinner. RNC member Harmeet Dhillon, who was there, said she was happy to see leaders stepping up to back Trump as he strives to close the fundraising gap between his campaign and President Joe Biden’s.
Trump rakes in millions at West Coast fundraisers #NewsBreak https://t.co/1sRr2xNHKC
— Hello-Hola-Shalom (@Jews4Freedom) June 7, 2024
Sacks, who hosted the event with his wife, Jacqueline, shared his support for Trump in a social media post, citing the economy, foreign policy, the border, and the “lawfare” against Trump as crucial issues. The conviction has spurred some of the nation’s stinking rich tech leaders to come to Trump’s aid, including Shaun Maguire, a Sequoia partner, who bragged about donating $300,000 to Trump. And billionaire Gristedes CEO John Catsimatidis raved about attending a fundraising dinner where Trump was in “very high spirits.”
Trump is also set to attend fundraising events in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and Newport Beach as he looks to bounce back financially from the guilty verdict. Even though Biden had a financial advantage over Trump and the RNC – with $146 million cash on hand compared to Trump’s $88 million at the end of April – April marked the first time Trump raised more money than his Democratic rival.
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris also sought the help of Silicon Valley with fundraising events this week. Trump spent his time attacking Biden for his recent executive order on the U.S. southern border during a town hall in Arizona. The Washington Examiner reached out to the Trump campaign for comment.
