Trump rages against accusation over expensive donor dinner

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Former US President Donald Trump delivers remarks at an event following his arraignment on classified document charges, at the Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, June 13, 2023.

Amr Alfiky | Reuters

Former President Donald Trump met privately with more 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 more than three dozen federal felony charges.

Trump hosted the group, as well as aides, for a “candlelight dinner” at his golf course in Bedminster, New Jersey. To get a seat at the meal, supporters must raise or donate $100,000 for his 2024 run for the White House, according to invitations to the event.

Trump’s brief remarks to the group echoed a speech he made later that night outside the clubhouse. He denounced a federal indictment charging him with knowingly keeping scores of documents containing some of the nation’s most sensitive military secrets, according to people familiar with the private comments.

Trump just returned to his golf course after being arraigned and pleading not guilty in a Miami federal courthouse. Trump’s ally, Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., also attended the dinner, the people said, declining to be named because they were discussing a private event. Tuberville arrived in Bedminster ahead of Trump’s public address. A Tuberville spokesman did not respond to a request for comment.

Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., speaks in a televised interview before former President Donald Trump speaks at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, NJ, Tuesday, June 13, 2023, after pleading not guilty in a courtroom in Miami earlier today. on dozens of felony counts that he stored classified documents and refused government requests to return them.

Andrew Harnik | AP

Donors, according to one attendee, ate some of Trump’s favorite foods, including crab cakes and burgers, while sipping wine and cocktails.

Trump, who turned 77 on Wednesday, is the clear leader in the 2024 Republican primary field.

The small group of wealthy donors who met with Trump spoke out after meeting with the former president, saying they would double their support. Their continued loyalty will help him raise millions as he battles GOP rivals and numerous legal challenges. In April, he pleaded not guilty to state charges in New York, and he faces two other criminal investigations, including an election interference probe in Georgia.

The event raised more 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 fired up to send President Trump back to the White House,” Steven Cheung, a spokesman for the Trump campaign, said in a statement to CNBC.

People react as former US President Donald Trump delivers remarks following his arraignment on classified document charges, at the Trump National Golf Club, in Bedminster, New Jersey, US, June 13, 2023.

Amr Alfiky | Reuters

While these donors lack the prominence of former Trump supporters like Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and tech investor Peter Thiel, their loyalty matches the intensity of the former president’s small-dollar donors. and GOP primary voters.

Businessman and real estate executive Stan Pate posted on his Facebook page that he was at the Trump fundraising event.

“My message to President Trump tonight in Bedminster ‘Damn the Torpedoes, Full speed ahead’!” he wrote on the Facebook page along with a photo of him standing outside the golf course clubhouse. Pate gave $500,000 last year through one of his companies to Make America Great Again Inc., a super PAC that supports Trump.

Pate did not respond to a call Tuesday seeking comment.

A Morning Consult poll, taken from the day the federal indictment was unsealed on June 9 to June 11, shows Trump still leading with 59% support from potential GOP primary voters. Second is Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis with 19%.

The support from Trump’s core supporters contrasts with the big money effort to bring him down. The Koch network released digital ads against the former president, with one declaring: “Trump is not going to win.”

Rivals, including DeSantis, turned to wealthier donors to help take on the front-runner.

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