US President Donald Trump boards Air Force One prior to departing from Joint Base Andrews in Maryland, July 31, 2020, as he travels to Tampa, Florida.
Saul Loeb | AFP | Getty Images
President Donald Trump is returning to one of the wealthiest regions of New York for a fundraising blitz as his opponent, presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden, creates his own formidable campaign war chest.
Trump and his team will be traveling this week to the affluent Hamptons area of Long Island for high-dollar, in-person fundraisers as the state enforces 50-person limits on gatherings in certain areas amid the coronavirus pandemic. New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo has continued to call on people across the state to stay socially distant and wear masks.
The Trump events begin Thursday, when the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., and his girlfriend, leading campaign and Republican National Committee fundraiser Kimberly Guilfoyle will be featured guests at a dinner. Tickets for this event start at $2,800 per person for the reception and go up to $50,000 per couple to attend the corresponding dinner.
More expensive fundraisers that will feature the president himself are set to take place on Saturday.
Trump is slated to head to an afternoon fundraiser in the area, with tickets starting at $50,000 for guests take part in a photo op and watch the president’s remarks. For $100,000, an attendee can also be part of a round table discussions with Trump. The later event on Saturday will cost up to $500,000 per couple to gain entrance.
All proceeds for the Hamptons events will be going to the Trump Victory committee, a joint fundraising operation between the campaign and the RNC.
Representatives for Trump and the RNC did not return requests for comment.
The slew of campaign fundraising events, including another on Aug. 10 in Jackson, Wyoming, comes as Biden and the Democratic National Committee, have started gaining ground on Trump and the RNC’s cash-on-hand advantage. At the end of the second quarter, Trump and the RNC had $295 million on hand while Biden and the DNC had $242 million on hand. Biden and his allies outraised Trump’s team during the quarter.
A Real Clear Politics polling average shows Biden ahead of Trump by seven points. With that, the Trump campaign launched TV ads in the early voting states of North Carolina, Georgia, Florida and Arizona.
Trump’s campaign and the president’s family have ties to the Hamptons.
Trump’s son and his girlfriend recently took part in a social event in the Hamptons at the home of longtime real estate executive Joe Farrell. The New York Post reported that Giulfoyle and Trump Jr. did not wear masks. Guilfoyle later tested positive for the coronavirus.
Trump Jr. and Guilfoyle reportedly bought a $4.4 million for a summer home in Bridgehampton last year.
Trump and the RNC raised at least $10 million last year during a swing through the Hamptons.
The town of Southampton has also come under scrutiny after a charity concert that featured performances by the Chainsmokers and Goldman Sachs CEO David Solomon, who opened the show as a DJ. The event was supposed to only allow guests to watch from their vehicles, but videos on social media show many got out of their cars, with no social distancing and lax mask wearing.
The state’s health commissioner recently started an investigation into the event.
