Eye-Watering Price of Meeting Trump One-on-One Is Revealed
Trump has been offering one-to-one conversations in exchange for a hefty donation to MAGA Inc., a super PAC founded in 2022 that raises funds to support the GOP President, The New Yorker reported.
The price is a cool $5 million, according to the magazine.
It is a hefty hike since December, when MAGA supporters could buy a seat at a group dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago for $1 million. But it follows a spate of White House schemes to raise funds including a crypto dinner that came in at $1.7 million a seat and was billed as the 'most exclusive invitation in the world.'
The new cash-to-talk scheme has shocked even the staunchest Trump supporters who are used to buying influence in Washington, The New Yorker reported.
But it's not clear whether the $5 million investment is worth it, or what's on offer besides an opportunity to lobby the president in person.
Lobbyists have had success with the administration since the start of Trump's second term in January.
Pilgrim's Pride, a U.S. poultry producer, was the largest donor to Trump's inauguration fund and a few months later the administration announced policy changes that benefitted the company, such as agreeing not to increase salmonella testing, the New Yorker said.
Notable businessmen have also been seen to cozy up to Trump by paying millions into the President's coffers. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg settled a lawsuit with Trump, agreeing to pay the President $25 million after dining at Mar-a-Lago, the New Yorker reported.
Elon Musk has all but entwined his business interests with the Republican administration - in the latest move, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has emerged as the frontrunner for a contract to develop Trump's new missile shield project, Golden Dome.
Last Thursday, Trump held a private dinner with more than 200 global investors in his meme coin. Critics warned the event gave investors unprecedented ability to lobby the President in-person while Trump benefits financially from their investment in his cryptocurrency.
Senator Elizabeth Warren described the event as an 'orgy of corruption.'
Trump's money-making schemes extended to merchandise in April with the release of 'Trump 2028″ embroidered hats for $50. The cap comes in 'MAGA' red.
Presidents are limited to two terms in the White House according to 22nd Amendment of the Constitution meaning Trump will not be able to seek re-election in 2028.
However, in March Trump said he was 'not joking' about running for a third term. He told NBC News there were 'methods' that would allow him to stay in power, without providing details.
Even if that proves to be a troll, the MAGA Inc. PAC's vast war chest gives Trump extraordinary staying power in a second term. No second-term president has previously had so much cash and already some it has funded advertising campaigns in seats held by Republicans in districts which Trump lost, seen as the most vulnerable to losing in next year's midterms, Axios reported. Trump wants to spend the cash not to benefit Republicans altruistically but because he believes a Democratic-held House would impeach him for a third time and wants to avoid that stain, thew outlet reported.
The White House and MAGA Inc. PAC did not immediately respond to requests for comment from the Daily Beast.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Lawler won't run for New York governor; Stefanik plans to announce after November election
Jul. 23—Rep. Mike R. Lawler will not run for governor of New York next year, clearing the way for Rep. Elise M. Stefanik to potentially clinch the Republican nomination without a primary. After months of teasing a potential run, previously pledging to announce a decision in June that did not come on time, Lawler announced on Wednesday morning that he wouldn't be seeking higher office next year and would instead run for reelection in his Hudson Valley swing district. "I've decided that the right thing to do for me, my family and my district is to run for re-election," he told the Fox network. That clears the way for his leading opposition for the GOP nomination — Stefanik. Lawler has previously said he would not push the party into a primary, which would force the two candidates to compete for conservative votes, commit to conservative positions and spend significant sums of money before starting the real competition against the Democratic candidate. In a statement shortly after Lawler's announcement went wide, Stefanik lauded Lawler as an "effective and hardworking Republican for New York's 17th Congressional district" and said she would announce her own plans once this year's general election is over. "I am focused on supporting strong Republican local and county candidates on the ballot this November to lay the groundwork with a strong team for next year," she said. "I will make a final decision and announcement after this year's November election which we are all focused on." Stefanik has been similarly teasing a potential run for the seat, but she has gained more traction than Lawler. While the Hudson Valley congressman has been relatively quiet in his positioning, meeting behind closed doors with Republicans and only infrequently criticizing Democratic Gov. Kathleen C. Hochul, Stefanik has had much higher profile visits and hosted a press conference after meeting with the state Republican delegation earlier this year. Stefanik has criticized Hochul far more frequently than her supposed competition for reelection in the 21st District. And in perhaps the most significant sign that Lawler wouldn't be running for governor, President Donald J. Trump endorsed him for reelection to the House earlier this year. Lawler met with Trump again last week ahead of his announcement. Nassau County Executive Bruce R. Blakeman has also considered a run for governor, but has far less name recognition and fundraising prowess than Stefanik does. Meanwhile, the Democratic Party is headed into a likely primary between Hochul and her Lt. Gov. Antonio Delgado. In early polling, it appears Hochul is likely to ignore Delgado's challenge and forge ahead to a victory. Hochul and her team seemed to revel in the news Wednesday. "Of course he doesn't have the spine to face me," Hochul said on X, formerly Twitter. In a separate post, Hochul showed an image of a Milk Bone dog treat box, adorned with a sticky note with Lawler's name on it. "A treat for Donald Trump's good boy," the post reads.
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump was told by Bondi his name appeared multiple times in Epstein files: Report
According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Attorney General Pam Bondi and her deputy Todd Blanche informed President Donald Trump in May that his name appeared multiple times in the government's files on Jeffrey Epstein that the Department of Justice and the FBI reviewed. The officials told Trump of their plan not to release any additional documents, the report says, because the material contained child pornography and the personal information of victims. President Trump, according to the Journal, said he would defer to the Justice Department's decision not to release additional files on Epstein, the wealthy financier and convicted sex offender who died by suicide in jail in 2019. MORE: Florida judge rules Epstein grand jury records will remain sealed According to the report, Trump was also informed that the names of many other high-profile individuals appeared in the documents, which the Journal reported was not evidence of wrongdoing. The Trump administration did not say anything publicly about the decision not to release additional files until July, when it angered many of Trump's supporters by announcing that it would not release any additional files after earlier promising to do so. The DOJ and FBI stated that their review "did not uncover evidence" that could lead to further criminal charges. When asked by ABC News on July 15 what Bondi told Trump about the review -- "specifically, did she tell you at all that your name appeared in the files?" Trump responded: "No, no, she's -- she's given us just a very quick briefing," before making baseless claims that the files were created by some of his political foes. Asked by ABC News following the publication of the Journal article if the president had been told his name is in the files, White House spokesperson Steven Cheung, said, "The fact is that the President kicked him out of his club for being a creep. This is nothing more than a continuation of the fake news stories concocted by the Democrats and the liberal media, just like the Obama Russiagate scandal, which President Trump was right about." In a statement, Bondi and Blanche said, "The DOJ and FBI reviewed the Epstein Files and reached the conclusion set out in the July 6 memo. Nothing in the files warranted further investigation or prosecution, and we have filed a motion in court to unseal the underlying grand jury transcripts. As part of our routine briefing, we made the President aware of the findings." FBI Director Kash Patel, who prior to joining the new administration called for the release of all Epstein files, said in a statement, "The memo released on July 6th is consistent with the thorough review conducted by the FBI and DOJ. The criminal leakers and Fake News media tries tirelessly to undermine President Trump with smears and lies, and this story is no different." Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
24 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Charlamagne Tha God Brutally Claims Trump Is ‘Losing It As Badly As Biden'
Charlamagne tha God has claimed that President Donald Trump is 'losing it as badly as [former President Joe] Biden.' The radio host's comments came more than a month after Trump ordered an investigation into his predecessor's aides for allegedly covering up Biden's supposed cognitive decline. 'Is Trump really losing it as badly as Biden? Hmm. Let's run through this official list of dementia symptoms from the Mayo Clinic, all right?' Charlamagne said, referring to the private American academic medical center, while appearing as a guest host on 'The Daily Show' on Tuesday. He continued, 'Now, first, I want to say that doctors warn it's unethical to diagnose someone you haven't actually examined, but I'm not a doctor, OK? So let's fucking go!' The 'Breakfast Club' host, who pulled out the list on a clipboard, went on to point out memory loss as a first symptom of dementia. Charlamagne played a clip of the POTUS declaring he was 'surprised' Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell was appointed, seemingly forgetting that he appointed him in 2017. 'Memory loss, check,' Charlamagne quipped to the audience while dramatically making a check mark on the symptoms list. 'He's stealing Biden's whole flow, word for word, bar for bar. I bet Biden's somewhere watching this, thinking, 'Where am I?'' Naming 'problems with communication' as another symptom, he then played separate footage of Trump mispronouncing the word 'cryptologic.' Elsewhere in the segment, Charlamagne alleged that Trump has no 'coordination and movement control,' another symptom of dementia, while showing a clip of the world leader awkwardly dancing to 'Y.M.C.A.' by the Village People. 'I don't get why Trump chose Y.M.C.A as his signature song. That dance involves coordination and spelling at the same time. Are you trying to kill this man?' he joked. Wrapping up his message, Charlamagne played multiple clips of Trump appearing to become agitated with the press before accusing the POTUS of having 'rage issues.' 'The bad news is, Trump has rage issues,' he added. 'The good news is there's no way he's remembering the nuclear codes, OK? Now, that's my whole checklist, and I've reached my diagnosis. This guy needs to be put into a retirement home immediately.' Watch Charlamagne tha God's appearance on 'The Daily Show' below. Related... Trump Snaps, Abruptly Ends CNN Interview After Being Questioned About New Epstein Photos Supreme Court Allows Trump To Remove 3 Democrats On The Consumer Product Safety Commission The Trump Administration Hopes You Never See These Stories — Which Makes Them More Important Than Ever
