Former President Trump appeared at a fundraiser at a Newport Beach oceanfront mansion on Saturday, promising to defeat “Crooked Joe Biden” in November and return to the White House to pursue “America First” policies and avoid unnecessary foreign entanglements, and shutting down the U.S. government.
“He’s amazing as always,” said Harleen Grewal, a 41-year-old dentist from Santa Clarita. “He talked about the state of the country, what we need to get back to the American dream, the American people, we have to think about our country first and close the open borders. To me, as a legal immigrant, I feel the same way .Everyone can come in through the correct procedures, legal procedures.
“He talked about all the wars that were going on. During his presidency, there were no wars and we had the greatest economy in American history,” she added. “As Americans, we need it back. If we can’t do that this time, America is screwed. That’s true.
About 3,000 Trump supporters greeted the former president, according to the Newport Beach Police Department. They roared and chanted: “Donald! Donald!” as the Republican presidential candidate’s motorcade drove toward a fundraiser on closed Harbor Island shortly before 1 p.m.
Earlier, people waved flags that read “Trump 2024” and banners that read “Never Surrender!” “We stand with Trump!” Andrea Flores, 49, of Rancho Santa Margarita, wearing a red Trump baseball cap, stood on a street corner chatting with a supporter .
“I hope people can put aside their hatred for him and do what’s best for the country,” Flores said. “Now with only two candidates — one who can’t walk and talk and one they hate — you have to pick your poison.”
Flores, a Republican, said the economy and border are among her top issues in this election. As for Trump’s recent felony convictions, several supporters, including Flores, said the charges were “politically motivated.”
Saturday’s event was the final stop on a three-day fundraising tour of California after a New York jury found him guilty of 34 counts of falsifying business records for paying adult film actor Stormy Daniels about $13. Thousands of dollars in funding, this was his first contact with a donor.
Trump trails President Biden in fundraising — both nationally and in California. Democrats are also spending time raising money in the state — Vice President Kamala Harris is holding at least three fundraisers this week. Biden will host a major fundraiser next weekend with former President Obama and actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gov. Gavin Newsom spoke at fundraisers for Democratic congressional candidates at the Torrey Pines Hotel in La Jolla on Friday and Saturday.
Trump has received a massive infusion of cash since the verdict was announced on May 30. Between a fundraiser in San Francisco on Thursday, an event in Beverly Hills on Friday, a luncheon in Newport Beach on Saturday and another rally in Las Vegas, Trump Trump expects to raise $27.5 million for his campaign committee and $6 million for other groups supporting his efforts, a senior campaign official said.
Trump is subject to a gag order while awaiting sentencing and has not mentioned his conviction at any fundraisers in California.
On Saturday, donors spent up to $100,000 to attend a Newport Beach roundtable and luncheon — the cheapest top-tier tickets on the trip. The home overlooking Newport Bay is surrounded by a fleet of boats flying Trump, MAGA and American flags.
Donald Holly Sr., 82, woke up Saturday morning feeling uneasy. It was his first meeting with Trump, and as he approached the hotel where donors were being driven to the fundraiser, he brought a bottle of soda to soothe an upset stomach. His son Richard Holly, 56, followed suit, using a roller to remove a strand of cat hair from his father’s suit.
“He just knew how to run a business, and of course he knew how to run a country,” Hawley Sr. said. “All you have to do is look at what we have, in terms of inflation, no world wars – everything has been going great during the Trump presidency,” he said.
Trump supporters in Newport Beach, where the former president attended a fundraiser on Saturday.
(Myung J. Chun/Los Angeles Times)
The event was held at the home of health insurance company co-founder John Word and his wife, Kimberly, whose home was decorated with red, white and blue bunting on the seawall and on the doors and windows. Palmer Luckey, a billionaire tech entrepreneur who lives on nearby Lido Island, was one of the event’s co-hosts.
Attendees sampled ceviche, shrimp skewers, mini burritos and petit fours while drinking “Liberty Beer” while waiting for the former president to speak. Actor Jon Voight and congressional candidate Scott Bowe mingled with the crowd, which was described as younger and more diverse than previous fundraisers in Newport Beach.
“It tells the story of the new Orange County,” said Shawn Steel, the husband of Rep. Michelle Steel (R-Seal Beach), one of three members of the California Republican National Committee .
Except for a plane towing a banner, Regarding Newport Bay’s “Orange County Vote Biden/Harris 2024,” there was no clear pro-Biden or anti-Trump sign on Saturday. (The county, a longtime conservative bastion that voted against Trump in 2016 and 2020, backed a Democratic presidential candidate for the first time since the Great Recession.)
On Friday night, Trump headlined a fundraiser at the Lee Samson, an Italianate mansion in Beverly Hills. of board members. He has hosted numerous fundraisers for Republican politicians over the years, including one for Trump in 2019 that raised $5 million and another in 2020 to support Trump’s re-election Fundraiser, then-President’s daughter Ivanka raised $2 million.
Donald Trump waves to supporters as he leaves his home for a campaign fundraiser in Beverly Hills on Friday.
(Wally Scully/Los Angeles Times)
Nearby, a Burbank artist arranged birthday wishes for the former president, who turned 78 on Friday. Dozens of supporters waved flags outside the event, including one who raised a “QAnon” conspiracy theory that referenced rumors that John F. Kennedy Jr. was still alive.
Tickets for Friday’s event, which Trump told the crowd will serve as a catalyst for his 2024 campaign, cost up to $250,000 each, according to attendee Gregg Donovan, 64, of Santa Monica. $6 million raised.
Donovan wore the red tuxedo and black top hat uniform from his previous role this The Beverly Hills goodwill ambassador said he was moved to buy a $5,000 ticket to see Trump’s re-election campaign “making history.”
The longtime Trump supporter said he was shocked by Trump’s conviction because “if it could happen to him, it could happen to anyone.”
He said he expects Trump to win in November, in part because Trump has more support among his friends than he did in 2020, especially among immigrants angry about the situation at the U.S.-Mexico border.
After North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum, reportedly one of the elected officials being vetted as a potential running mate, and Samson introduced Trump, the former president spoke for about 45 minutes and Commitment to ensuring border security and safety in the Oval Office on day one.
Katie Zacharia, 39, of Thousand Oaks, attended fundraisers in Beverly Hills and Newport Beach. She said what stood out to her about Trump’s line was “defeat Crooked Joe Biden and return to the White House.”
“He’s really just passionate about his campaign moving forward. [and] Really giving us hope for the future is just about realigning the country back to the Trump-era policies and the booming economy that we enjoyed during his presidency,” the mother of four said, adding that she appreciated Trump’s Pugh’s non-globalist stance because she feared her three sons might have to fight in overseas wars.
Samson is the founder of Windsor Healthcare Management, one of the largest skilled nursing and rehabilitation providers in California and Arizona. According to the New York Times, one of the organization’s facilities was accused of pressuring patients to relocate in 2020 to accommodate more profitable patients during the pandemic.
A spokesman for Windsor Park Care Center in Fremont, where the alleged incident occurred, declined to comment to the newspaper, but Samson told the paper, “Regardless of my political affiliation, Windsor’s commitment to protecting its residents will never be compromised.”
The Biden-Harris reelection campaign seized on the allegations.
“If you want to know who Donald Trump is fighting for, just look at who he’s with… In this case, the billionaire who kicked seniors out of nursing homes during a deadly pandemic, To line their own pockets,” said Sarafina Chitika, a spokesperson for the event. “Trump has made it clear to America’s seniors that if he wins this November, he’ll happily sell them off to his billionaire donors—eliminating Social Security and Medicare while providing taxes for his wealthy extreme allies discount.
According to Donovan, Trump said the Friday night fundraiser ended relatively early because many of the guests were Jewish and needed to go home for the Shabbat. Shortly before sunset, attendees in cocktail dresses and suits spilled onto the quiet Beverly Hills streets.
As Trump’s motorcade left shortly before 8 p.m. Friday, 67-year-old Robin Dominguez held a sign in the air that read “Trump Guilty” and the words “Trump Guilty” on the other side. “Lock him up”. She wore a red shirt that read in white lettering: “Make racists afraid again.”
A woman wearing a red MAGA hat screamed, “Shame on you!” Domingos then told her that if she didn’t like the United States, she should move to Venezuela. The windows of a red SUV were rolled down as it passed, and a teenage passenger yelled, “Hey, lady! Put that sign down. This case is illegal.”
A supporter of Donald Trump stands outside a home in Beverly Hills on Friday.
(Wally Scully/Los Angeles Times)
Dominquez said many people told her Friday they believed Trump’s trial was a sham. But, she said, “12 people found him guilty. How could this be a conspiracy?”
Trump told donors at venture capitalist David Sacks’ Pacific Heights estate in San Francisco on Thursday that he had raised $12 million. Another elected official on Trump’s list of potential running mates, Ohio Republican Sen. J.D. Vance, was one of the presenters at the event, with personal fees of up to $300,000 and couples’ fees of up to $500,000, according to reports.
“He said if there had been no cheating, I would have won this election today,” said Harmeet Dhillon, a San Francisco attorney whose firm represents the Trump campaign and participated in the fundraiser. “But there’s cheating, so we have to be vigilant. He talked about how we’re going to do something different this time, and we have a lot of smart lawyers and volunteers, and so on.
