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As former President Donald Trump plans his political life after the White House, his flashy country club private properties have become prime destinations for Republicans looking to raise funds with events that are sure to line their pockets. of the former president.
Republicans have traveled to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Resort in Palm Beach, Florida to meet with donors – although they are running for office in other states. While it is common for politicians to travel outside of their state to reach larger donors, in the Trump era, meeting and greeting Trump in what was once considered the “Winter White House” is become a particularly attractive option.
Former White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders held a fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago this weekend with Trump making a “surprise appearance.” Faithful to Trump since leaving the administration, Sanders is fighting for the post of his father, Mike Huckabee, who served from 1996 to 2007 as governor of Arkansas.
“Great campaign weekend with a surprise appearance at one of my events by President Trump,” Sanders tweeted Sunday night, along with a photo of her and the former president. Social media posts on Instagram show Sanders in Mar-a-Lago with former White House deputy chief of staff and social media director Dan Scavino and other guests at the fundraising event.
Sanders, who was publicly encouraged to run for governor by Trump, raised $ 1 million in the first four days after announcing her candidacy, according to her campaign. His 2022 run could become one of the first official tests of the former president’s influence of the Republican Party against the GOP establishment.
“The Arkansas governor’s race will be decided by the voters of Arkansas, not the rich and famous in New York and Palm Beach,” said Christian Gonzalez, campaign spokesman for the only Republican opponent of Sanders, Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge, in a statement to ABC. News. “The only time Attorney General Rutledge has been to Mar-a-Lago was to raise money for President Trump. Attorney General Rutledge’s events typically involve barbecue and catfish, not crab cakes and snails. “
Since leaving the White House, Trump has welcomed many other Republican allies to Mar-a-Lago as he continues to exert his influence over several potential candidates in the upcoming election.
The price tags for recent Mar-a-Lago fundraisers have yet to be made public and it is unclear how much money Trump allies are raising through these fundraisers. But these are likely lucrative deals for the former president’s business, based on the five- to six-figure spending that the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee and various other GOP allies have reported as part of the organization. fundraisers in Mar-a-Lago in recent years.
Over the past four years, campaigns and political groups have together spent at least $ 12 million on various Trump properties, including over $ 9 million spent by Trump’s own presidential campaign, the RNC and their committees. common fundraising.
The Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC and the Trump Tower in New York have flourished in recent years not only as campaign headquarters and hotspots for lavish GOP fundraising events, but also as popular accommodation option for traveling campaign staff and hot spots. for various supporters’ gatherings.
Mar-a-Lago, where Trump has resided since leaving the White House, now appears to be taking on more of that role.
At the end of February, Utah Senator Mike Lee, candidate for re-election in 2022, hosted a fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago where guests included Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and Colorado Rep. Lauren Boebert, both conservatives and staunch supporters of the former president. . The fundraising dinner cost $ 10,600 per couple, according to an invitation obtained by The Washington Post.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem, considered a 2024 presidential candidate, also visited Mar-a-Lago this month to greet donors at an event hosted by Donald Trump Jr. and Kimberly Guilfoyle.
An invitation to the March 5 Noem event obtained by Politico indicated a minimum contribution of $ 1,000 to attend the fundraiser. Attending a private chat and photo shoot with Noem, Guilfoyle and Trump Jr. required a contribution of $ 4,000 per person or $ 8,000 per couple.
Campaign representatives for Sanders, Noem and Lee did not immediately respond to ABC News requests for comment.
Trump has also issued a number of endorsements of Mar-a-Lago, including endorsing his former aide Max Miller, who is running for Congress in Ohio against incumbent Republican Anthony Gonzalez, who voted for the latest impeachment of Trump.
Over the weekend, during a fundraiser in Mar-a-Lago for Big Dog Ranch Rescue, a nonprofit, cage-free dog rescue organization, Trump teased that his stepdaughter Lara Trump, married to son Eric, could run. for the North Carolina Senate in 2022.
Earlier this year, Trump hosted Republicans, including Parliamentary Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., And Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla.
Regarding his own political aspirations, Trump has yet to declare his own intentions for 2024, freezing Noem and other potential suitors in place as they balance the former president’s grassroots call with a solidified independent support.
The president with a single mandate did not hesitate to maintain a strong influence on the conservative political field. Immediately after Democrat Joe Biden was announced the winner of the 2020 presidential election, Trump launched a new leadership PAC called Save America, ending up directing much of the money raised as part of the effort. joint Trump-RNC fundraiser towards the new PAC.
Through his post-election fundraising efforts, Trump’s massive fundraising prowess raised hundreds of millions of dollars through a joint fundraising device with the Republican Party within two months. which followed the November elections.
But Trump’s team and the Republican Party have since gone their separate ways over fundraising, as Trump has argued with the GOP over the use of his name in recent weeks. The former president encouraged voters not to donate to GOP establishment candidates, but instead approved only candidates who remain loyal to him. And as he seeks to tie the score with politicians he says betrayed him, he’s already vowed to campaign against a sitting Senate Republican: Lisa Murkowski of Alaska.
Earlier this month, Trump also transformed his presidential committee into a political action committee designed to support multiple candidates, further signaling a decision to support his allies in the 2022 midterm election.
In addition, Trump and his allies are said to be launching a new super PAC, which could accept large donor checks and spend an unlimited amount of money to support candidates – unlike regular PACs which are bound by contribution limits. of $ 5,000 per donor and per candidate. According to Politico, Trump told his advisers at a meeting in Mar-a-Lago last month that his former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski would lead the new super PAC.
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