Trump post-arraignment donor dinner was full of crab cakes, burgers and rage

Former President Donald Trump met privately with much than 2 twelve apical donors and supporters Tuesday night, arsenic helium sought to rally affluent donors and supporters to his origin hours aft his arraignment connected much than 3 twelve national felony charges.

Trump hosted the group, arsenic good arsenic aides, for a "candlelight dinner" astatine his play people successful Bedminster, New Jersey. To get a spot astatine the meal, supporters had to rise oregon donate $100,000 toward his 2024 tally for the White House, according to invitations to the event.

Trump's little remarks to the radical echoed the code helium made earlier that evening extracurricular the clubhouse. He railed against the national indictment charging him with willfully retaining scores of documents that contained immoderate of the nation's astir delicate subject secrets, according to radical acquainted with the backstage comments.

Trump had conscionable returned to his play people aft being arraigned and pleading not blameworthy successful a Miami national courthouse. Trump state Sen. Tommy Tuberville, R-Ala., besides attended the dinner, said the people, who declined to beryllium named due to the fact that they were discussing a backstage event. Tuberville had travel to Bedminster up of Trump's nationalist speech. A Tuberville spokesperson did not respond to a petition for comment.

Donors, according to 1 of the attendees, munched connected immoderate of Trump's favourite meals, including crab cakes and burgers, portion sipping connected vino and cocktails.

Trump, who turned 77 Wednesday, is the wide person successful the 2024 Republican superior field.

The tiny radical of affluent donors who met with Trump spoke aft gathering with the erstwhile president, saying they volition treble down connected their support. Their continued loyalty could assistance him rise millions arsenic helium battles GOP rivals and galore ineligible challenges. In April, helium pleaded not blameworthy to authorities charges successful New York, and helium faces 2 much transgression probes, including an predetermination interference probe successful Georgia.

The lawsuit raised much than $2 million, Trump's run confirmed to CNBC. The fundraiser was officially scheduled earlier Trump was indicted connected national charges.

"Voters, donors, and activists are each energized to nonstop President Trump backmost to the White House," Steven Cheung, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said successful a connection to CNBC.

While these donors deficiency the notoriety of erstwhile Trump backers specified arsenic Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman and tech capitalist Peter Thiel, their loyalty matches the strength of the erstwhile president's small-dollar donors and GOP superior voters.

Businessman and existent property enforcement Stan Pate posted connected his Facebook leafage that helium was astatine the Trump fundraising event.

"My connection to President Trump this evening astatine Bedminster 'Damn the Torpedoes, Full velocity ahead'!" helium wrote connected Facebook leafage alongside a representation of him lasting extracurricular the play people clubhouse. Pate gave $500,000 past twelvemonth done 1 of his companies to Make America Great Again Inc., a ace PAC backing Trump.

Pate did not respond to a Tuesday telephone seeking comment.

A Morning Consult poll, which was taken from the time the national indictment was unsealed connected June 9 until June 11, shows Trump inactive leads with 59% of enactment from imaginable GOP superior voters. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is 2nd with 19%.

The enactment from halfway Trump supporters contrasts with large wealth efforts to instrumentality him down. The Koch web has unleashed integer advertisements against the ex-president, with 1 declaring: "Trump can't win."

Rivals, including DeSantis, person been turning to wealthier donors to assistance instrumentality connected the front-runner.