After his landslide victory in Iowa and New Hampshire, the former President rolls up his sleeves to call on megadonors to pitch into his campaign through personal calls, motorcade rides, and meals at his Mar-a-Lago private club.
GOP’s mega-donor Steve Wynn, Robert Bigelow, and Las Vegas businessman Don Ahern spent some time with Trump during the back-to-back campaign rally for the two states.
A source close to the former president shared that he secured the endorsement of many big-time financiers, including Ahern and Bigelow.
Republican megadonors held a winter meeting this week and discussed the campaign plans of both camps and invited Haley and Trump’s chief campaign aides.
Led by American Opportunity Alliance, a group formed by wealthy donors where the Ricketty Family and investors Paul Singer and Kenneth Griffin are members, the meeting showed a significant decline in support for Haley’s campaign race.
The assembly held on Monday and Tuesday was part of the AOA’s effort to drag their feet back to Trump. For many, it was a slap back to reality, who have excluded Trump’s campaign team during their last year’s fall meeting.
Funds may not be a problem for Haley, but Trump’s influence shows no indication of decline. Some of the GOP’s billionaire donors, including Haley’s financiers, expressed that they look forward to the primaries to conclude and are focused on the general elections. Some had already resigned to the fact that Haley had little to no chance of subduing Trump.
During the AOA meeting, Haley has more financiers than Trump. Hedge fund executive Kenneth Griffin donated $5 million to her super PAC this month.
Despite this, Griffin acknowledged during an event on Tuesday that the former South Carolina governor’s path is now “narrower” than it was two months ago, before Trump’s historic victory in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Additionally, $5 million for Mr. Griffin is relatively modest funding, when in 2022, in trying to overcome Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois, the hedge fund magnate spent $50 million.
According to Susie Wiles, Trump’s campaign plan for the 2024 presidential race is simple. The top campaign aide for the MAGA leader told the AOA, with the help of charts, why Trump will be the Republican nominee.
Ms. Wiles’ presence was the first time since the AOA held two assemblies annually. During their fall meeting last year, they excluded Trump’s campaign team and only invited advisers of DeSantis, Haley, and Tim Scott.
On the other hand, Betsy Ankney, Haley’s campaign adviser, spent her time mocking and trashing Trump. She also cited the lawsuits charged against the former president to discredit him.
But, after so much whining, these billionaires have no choice but to accept the facts.
Many of these GOP mega-financiers are still linked to the old pre-Trump Republican Party and made attempts to stop his reelection plans. President Trump often hit known donors and described them as members of the “swamp” that he has been fighting against. This week, the leading Republican nominee wrote on Truth Social that he vows to “permanently bar” anyone who finances Haley’s campaign run, “We don’t want them, and we will not accept them.”
He further said, “When I ran for office and won, I noticed that the losing candidate’s “donors” would immediately come to me and want to “help out.”
“This is standard in politics, but no longer with me.”
This weekend, the Koch brothers’ Americans for Prosperity is also scheduled to meet. The group previously supported the former South Carolina governor, however, some donors regretted that decision.
