Trump to convene donors, VP hopefuls in Palm Beach

Republican nominee Donald Trump and his campaign will host a donor retreat next week in Palm Beach with some prominent Republicans who have been discussed as his potential running mate.

Sens. Marco Rubio of Florida and Tim Scott of South Carolina; North Dakota Gov. Doug Burgum and South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem; and Reps. Elise Stefanik of New York and Byron Donalds of Florida are scheduled to appear, according to an invitation obtained by Bloomberg

News.

About 400 donors to Trump’s political operation are expected to attend the May 3-5 event, according to a person familiar with the planning.

The retreat was first reported by Politico.

The weekend will provide a change of pace for Trump, who has spent much of his last two weeks in a Manhattan courtroom over alleged hush-money payments to an adult film actress. The event also gives his campaign an opportunity to appeal to key donors to give more money.

Trump has struggled to match President Joe Biden’s fundraising pace, as some major Republican donors have declined to support his campaign and legal fees have weighed on his operation’s finances. Trump and the Republican Party had $93.1 million cash on hand at the start of April, less than half of the $192 million Biden and the Democrats had in the bank at that time, according to the latest federal filings.

The retreat will also be led by close Trump allies including Kellyanne Conway, Sens. Rick Scott and Marsha Blackburn, Reps. Jim Banks and Wesley Hunt, and two candidates for U.S. Senate, Dave McCormick and Bernie Moreno.