Trump Schedules in-Person Fundraisers in June, Defying Pandemic

(Bloomberg) -- President Donald Trump plans to resume in-person fundraising in June, ending a moratorium of more than two months caused by the coronavirus pandemic, a party official said Friday.

On June 11, Trump will attend an event in Dallas in a private home with approximately 25 attendees. The price for admission is $580,600 per couple, according to an official with the Republican National Committee.

On June 13, he'll attend an event at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. That event has a price tag of $250,000 price per person, and will have roughly the same number of guests as the event in Dallas.

The events are being organized by Trump Victory, which will split the proceeds between the Trump campaign, the RNC and 22 state parties. The fundraisers were first reported by Politico.

A person familiar with the committee's plans says a third event in Florida, around the July 4 holiday, is also under consideration, but details, including the date of the event, have yet to be worked out.

Trump has said he is eager for the U.S. to reopen even as many health experts are warning that the virus, which has killed more than 100,000 Americans, isn't yet under control.

The RNC official, who asked not to be identified speaking publicly about internal plans, said the safety of Trump and the attendees would be a top priority. Precautions will include testing all attendees as well as other measures that align with guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Sites will be professionally cleaned and sanitized before each event.

Attendees will be screened by the U.S. Secret Service as well as the White House Medical Unit, which is responsible for the health of Trump, Vice President Mike Pence, their families and West Wing staffers, the official said. Donors will have to test negative for Covid-19 on the day of the fundraiser they're attending. They'll also have to fill out a questionnaire and pass a temperature screening. Trump Victory will cover the costs of testing.

Trump, whose re-election effort has raised $742 million in the last 16 months, held his last in-person fundraiser on March 9 in Florida. His fundraising has slowed during the pandemic. The $61.7 million he raised in April, the first full month of lockdowns, was down 28% from February, before social-distancing measures were recommended. At the end of April he had $255 million in the bank, far more than the $103 million held by presumptive nominee Joe Biden and the Democratic National Committee.