Washington: The next US election is still more than 1,200 days away, but Donald Trump is already drumming up cash to pay for his campaign -- and chose the Trump International Hotel, two steps from the White House, as a fundraising venue.
On Wednesday, the 45th president of the United States will take part in a dinner benefiting the Republican Party and his own re-election bid, with a seat at the table reportedly starting at $35,000 -- and rising to $100,000 for super donors.
The White House is upfront about the president's intention to seek a second term.
"Of course he is running for re-election," Trump's spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters Wednesday when quizzed on the topic.
"But right now, he is focused on his agenda, focused on the midterms, and raising money for the party," she said. "I don't think that's abnormal for any president."
While the phenomenon leaves many uncomfortable, it has long been part of American political life for the president to contribute star power to fundraising events -- be it for his party or his own cause.
But in the case of the business mogul-turned-president Trump, things are a bit more complicated: the rich donors coming to hear him speak Wednesday night will be contributing not only to his future campaign but to his real estate empire as well.Protest
Some 200 Democratic lawmakers recently sued the president, arguing that he is violating the Constitution by accepting foreign payments through his empire of hotels, golf courses, and other properties.
A separate suit filed by the attorneys general of Maryland and the US capital claims the Trump International Hotel, which opened a few weeks before the November election, enjoys an unfair advantage over rival venues due to its links to the presidency.
Both lawsuits are underpinned by the notion that Trump is embroiled in a permanent conflict of interest, having failed to put sufficient distance between himself and his business empire: while the billionaire has entrusted his sons with day-to-day management of the Trump Organization, he retains his full stake.
The plaintiffs note, for instance, that foreign delegations regularly opt to stay at Trump's hotel when in Washington, that foreign government have chosen to buy or rent property built by the Trump Organization, or that Chinese authorities have registered Trump-owned trademarks.
Several non-governmental organizations are planning to protest outside the venue on Wednesday evening.
"Donald Trump is once again shamelessly using his position as president to line his pockets," wrote Public Citizen, one of the groups taking part, on its Facebook page.
Comments
0 comment