Seething over Kamala Harris’ big crowd sizes and energy, Donald Trump huddled with donors at an intimate, high-dollar fundraiser in Aspen, Colorado, Saturday night, struggling to catch up to his opponent’s record-smashing campaign haul.
The small event in Aspen, in which couples had to pony up $500,000 to serve on the host committee, stood in stark contrast to the overflowing crowds seen at Harris rallies throughout crucial swing states that will decide the outcome of the 2024 election.
The tony fundraiser, which drew about 100 guests, was held at the home of John Phelan, who owns Rugger Management, a private investment firm based in Palm Beach, Florida, and wife Amy Phelan.
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One donor who attended the fundraiser Saturday evening told the Daily Beast that the former president appeared “anything but rattled” and “not angry at all.” By contrast, just days before, Trump appeared visibly shaken, his words meandering, as he faced invited reporters at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday. The rosy description also was at odds with a New York Times report depicting an embittered and self-described “angry” Trump and an Axios story painting Trump as nearly unhinged with anger.
In fact, the source at the Aspen fundraiser described Trump as “funny” and “disciplined.” Perhaps because, unlike the ritzy fundraiser in the Hamptons last week, where Trump lingered over dinner in unscripted conversation with donors as he railed against Democrats and the media, he did not sit with dinner guests on Saturday.
Instead, Trump posed with donors in a photo line that moved along fairly quickly so that the former president and his entourage could depart Aspen before the airport’s curfew that prohibits planes from taking off after 10:30 p.m. local time.
Another guest who owns property in the luxury Rocky Mountain resort town and gave the minimum $25,000 donation to attend complained that Trump said nothing memorable in his brief stump speech. “It was boring,” the GOP donor told one of his children, who relayed the conversation to the Daily Beast.
According to a copy of the invitation obtained by the Daily Beast, couples who donated or raised half a million dollars were given “host committee” status, which promised a roundtable discussion with Trump, a photo with the former president and VIP dinner seating. Co-hosts who gave or raised $100,000 also had a chance to get photos with the GOP 2024 nominee and VIP seating.
Trump 47 fundraiser invitation
Obtained by the Daily BeastCo-hosts included Warren G. Lichtenstein, executive chairman of Steel Partners; former hedge fund manager Duke Buchan, an active fundraiser for Trump who served as his ambassador to Spain and became finance chairman for the Republican National Committee in 2022; Houston billionaires Mindy and Jeff Hildebrand; Drew McKnight, a billionaire donor to the failed No Labels effort to recruit a third-party candidate; and Andrew McKenna.
Trump’s Aspen fundraiser followed his visit to Big Sky country in Montana on Friday, where he rallied thousands of supporters to vote for him and Senate GOP candidate Tim Sheehy, who is running to unseat incumbent Sen. Jon Tester (D-MT).
Meanwhile, Harris was set to attend a Harris Victory fundraiser on Sunday with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco, where nearly 700 people had already donated $12 million, according to a Harris-Walz campaign spokesperson.
“This major event follows Team Harris-Walz's massive $36 million haul in the 24 hours” following the selection of Gov. Tim Walz as running mate and a “groundbreaking $310 million raised in July,” the spokesperson said.
Harris now leads Trump in Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin, according to new polling.
The money raised at the GOP fundraiser in Aspen Saturday will benefit the Trump 47 campaign, a joint effort by Trump’s presidential campaign, the Republican National Committee, Trump’s leadership PAC, Save America, and state GOP parties. A Trump campaign spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment about the Aspen event or whether the former president is angry as reported.
The Trump-Vance campaign did, however, release a statement Sunday, calling Harris “Copy Cat Kamala” for allegedly stealing Trump’s “no tax on tips” proposal. The new nickname comes after Trump called his Democratic opponent “incompetent” and questioned her intelligence and ability to debate.
Harris-Walz senior spokesperson Kevin Munoz said Sunday, “While the Trump-Vance team is spiraling, Team Harris-Walz is riding a historic wave of earned media and translating the immense grassroots enthusiasm into winning a close election this November.”
Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the identity of Andrew McKenna. He is the president and CEO of the investment firm McKenna & Associates.
