Trump’s Hamptons Fundraisers Put High-Profile Donors in a Bind
Trump has long been a lightning rod on the left, but criticism of his anti-immigrant stance has grown since the shooting.
(Bloomberg) -- Donald Trump’s fundraising swing through the Hamptons on Friday is creating headaches for some of his high-dollar donors, who face threats of boycotts and employee complaints for supporting a president Democrats say is racist.
Celebrities and social media users have threatened to cancel their memberships to Equinox Fitness Club and its indoor-cycling subsidiary SoulCycle after Stephen Ross -- a real estate developer who owns the fitness brands and the NFL’s Miami Dolphins -- agreed to host a fundraiser at his Southampton home.
A who’s-who of investment and real estate executives have been invited to Ross’s fundraiser, according to names provided by a person familiar with planning for the event, and they too may find themselves facing a backlash should they attend.
Dolphins wide receiver Kenny Stills criticized Ross for hosting the event, tweeting the owner could not promote equality in sports and “then open your doors to Trump.” Celebrities including model Chrissy Teigen, actor Billy Eichner, actress Amber Tamblyn, and actress Sophia Bush tweeted they would stop going to Equinox and SoulCycle gyms.
“I rode with SoulCycle for more than 5 years,” Tamblyn tweeted. “To think the money I spent on your classes went into the pockets of Stephen Ross and therefore fundraisers for the likes of Donald Trump are unacceptable. As long as he owns you, I will not be riding.“
Trump has long been a lightning rod on the left, but criticism of his anti-immigrant and racial rhetoric has grown heavier since a pair of shootings in Dayton, Ohio, and El Paso, Texas, that left at least 31 dead. The El Paso shooter posted a racist manifesto online before his attack declaring that he sought to stop a Latino “invasion” of Texas, echoing language Trump himself has used to describe migrants. Many Democrats have accused the president of helping to incite the attack with his harsh rhetoric.
His two Hamptons fundraisers are expected to raise a combined $10 million, according to a Republican Party official.
Dayton, El Paso Visits
Trump visited Dayton and El Paso on Wednesday, a trip punctuated by the president lashing out at his political enemies. The Washington Post reported that none of the El Paso shooting survivors at a hospital Trump visited agreed to meet with him.
SoulCycle Chief Executive Officer Melanie Whelan issued a statement Wednesday attempting to distance her company from the Ross fundraiser.
“SoulCycle in no way endorses the political fundraising event being held later this week,” Whelan said, going on to describe Ross as a “passive investor” not involved in the company’s management. “SoulCycle has nothing to do with the event and does not support it.”
Equinox issued a similar statement, saying that it had been contacted by many members expressing concerns about the fundraiser, and distancing itself from the event.
And Ross himself looked to quell the controversy, issuing a statement to the Miami Herald saying that he has known Trump for 40 years and that he preferred to “engage directly” in the democratic process.
“While we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions,” Ross said, adding that he would continue to be “an outspoken champion of racial equality, inclusion, diversity, public education, and environmental sustainability.”
Catsimatidis, Lauder
People invited to the Ross fundraiser include the two adult children of John Catsimatidis, owner of the Manhattan grocery chain Gristedes Foods Inc., and Ron Lauder, an Estée Lauder Companies Inc. heir who is the president of the World Jewish Congress, according to a person familiar with the invitations.
The invitation to John Catsimatidis Jr. and Andrea Catsimatidis comes after their father -- a prolific donor to both Republican and Democratic campaigns who served as a member of Hillary Clinton’s finance team during her 2008 presidential campaign -- publicly declined former Vice President Joe Biden’s request for fundraising assistance earlier this year, saying he would continue to support the president.
Other invitees include K2 Advisers co-founder William Douglass, General Atlantic LLC chief executive Bill Ford, New York real estate developer Richard LeFrak, Harbor Group chief executive Michael Liebowitz, Cantor Fitzgerald chief executive Howard Lutnick, and cryptocurrency entrepreneur -- and former ‘Mighty Ducks’ child actor -- Brock Pierce, according to the person familiar with the invitations.
Liebowitz confirmed he would attend. Other invitees didn’t immediately respond to calls and messages left at their offices or with representatives.
Tickets to the event will range from $100,000 for a photo with the president and lunch to $250,000 for a package that also includes a roundtable discussion with Trump.
The president will hold a second Hamptons fundraiser at the “Sandcastle” mansion owned by developer Joe Farrell, which celebrities including Justin Bieber and Madonna have rented for summer vacations.
‘Sandcastle’ Fundraiser
Tickets to that event -- hosted by the president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., his girlfriend and former Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle and New York congressman Lee Zeldin -- range between $2,800 and $250,000, according to an invitation obtained by Bloomberg.
The Sandcastle property has become a familiar spot for high-profile Republican events and played host to the 75th birthday party for former New York mayor and Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani earlier this year. Guests will wander a 17,000-square-foot property with 11 bedrooms, 17 bathrooms, a baseball field, a bowling alley, a DJ booth and recording studio, a skateboard halfpipe, a tree house, a yoga studio and a 60-foot pool with an underwater sound system, according to the New York Post.
Farrell, a member of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, told the tabloid that the home rents for as much as $1 million per month in the summer and has been booked for five straight years. Jay-Z and Beyoncé, who rented the mansion in the summer of 2012, paid $400,000 for their rental.
Those shelling out for the most expensive tickets offered to the event will receive two photos with the president, eight tickets to a reception that Trump is attending, and access to a “VIP After-Party.”
Lorber Fundraiser
This isn’t the first year that a Trump fundraising foray in the Hamptons has generated controversy. Celebrities including The Roots drummer Questlove and radio personality Scott Nevins tweeted that they would stop eating Nathan’s Famous Inc. hot dogs after Bloomberg reported that Trump was attending an event at the home of Howard Lorber, a Manhattan developer and executive chairman of the hot dog company.
Lorber was invited to Ross’s fundraiser on Friday. A message left at his office wasn’t immediately returned.
The high-dollar events will benefit a joint fundraising committee for the president’s re-election campaign and the RNC. The president has sought to tap a network of high-dollar Republican donors that largely shied away from his first campaign. Trump also seeks to extend an immense cash advantage over rival Democrats, who have largely struggled to match Republican fundraising efforts that have been underway since the president’s inauguration.
The president’s re-election campaign raised $56.7 million in the last quarter alone, while the RNC banked $51 million during that period. The Trump campaign and the joint fundraising committees have $80 million cash on hand and the RNC has $43 million in the bank, according to the campaign.
Democratic primary contenders collectively raised $131.6 million in the same quarter, but no individual candidate topped $25 million. The 22 campaigns active in the second quarter reported a combined $140 million in the bank at the end of June. Most of that money was raised for the primaries, not the general election.
--With assistance from Bill Allison.
To contact the reporters on this story: Justin Sink in Washington at jsink1@bloomberg.net;Jennifer Jacobs in Washington at jjacobs68@bloomberg.net;Elizabeth Rembert in New York at erembert@bloomberg.net
To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Joshua Gallu
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