From left: Barron, Donald and Melania Trump arrive for a New Year’s party at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Dec. 31, 2017.Photo: NICHOLAS KAMM/AFP via Getty
Former PresidentDonald Trumpis reportedly charging $100,000 for attendees of an upcoming fundraiser at Mar-a-Lago to take a photo with him, with ticket prices for a private dinner soaring to $250,000.
Funds from the event go toward theMake America Great Again, Again!super political action committee supporting Trump’s agenda.
Since departing from office, Trump has continued to raise millions of dollars, even without confirming his plans for a 2024 run for the presidency. He has also continued to lie about the 2020 election results he lost toJoe Bidenand has alternately praised supportive GOP politicians or sharply criticized those who split from him.
The former president’s PACs underline his continued prominence among conservatives: His groups have amassed some $122 million since he left the White House in 2021 — though so far, Trump hasn’t exactly spread the wealth. ABC News reports that just $1.35 million of that total has gone to candidatesTrump has endorsed.
Trump has in recent months backed amultitude of candidatessince leaving office in gubernatorial, Senate and House races across the country. He’s also openly flirted with the idea of running again, though he’s said it is still too soon to be official.
He told the audience at the Conservative Political Action Conference in 2021 that his “incredible journey” was “far from over.”
While visiting first responders in New York on Sept. 11, 2021, he alsoindicated that he had made a decisionand gave the impression that he will run. “For me, it’s an easy question … I know what I’m going to do,” he said, adding, “I think you’re going to be happy, let me put it that way. I think you’re going to be very happy.”
President Biden, for his part, has said he is okay with a redo: “Why would I not run against Donald Trump if he’s the nominee?” Bidentold ABC Newsin December. “That would increase the prospect of running.”
Donald Trump.Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg via Getty
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Since leaving Washington, D.C., Trump has builtmuch of his post-White House lifeat Mar-a-Lago, where he is widely popular and seen as something of a kingmaker — often meeting with Republican candidates to determine whether or not he will lend his support to their campaigns.
A source recently told PEOPLE that Trump and his wife,Melania Trump— who recently celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary — are “very happy to be in Palm Beach.”
“Donald plays golf regularly with political guys who fly down as well as with social friends from his club, and Melania keeps busy with her family, the spa at Mar-a-Lago and her own business and philanthropic interests,” the source said.
source: people.com
