Trump to launch major donor initiative after disastrous week

[DonViejo]

Source: Politico




Modeled after George W. Bush's 'Pioneer' program, it's one of the most serious steps Trump has taken toward reelection.

By ALEX ISENSTADT 03/03/2018 06:53 AM EST

Donald Trump is wrapping up the most chaotic week of his presidency by rolling out a major new donor push — one of his most serious steps yet to prepare for a 2020 reelection campaign.

Trump will appear before big GOP givers at his Mar-a-Lago resort on Saturday for the launch of a fundraising initiative that mimics the famed George W. Bush “Pioneer” program, according to three senior Republicans familiar with the plans. As with Bush, the president will reward donors who’ve bundled thousands of dollars in contributions, giving them an entree to exclusive dinners, political briefings, and future retreats.

Under the plan, which is intended to provide a fundraising infrastructure that was lacking from Trump’s 2016 campaign, donors who raise $25,000 will join the “Trump Train” and those who bundle $45,000 will be part of the “45 Club.” The program, which will jointly benefit Trump’s campaign and the Republican National Committee, will introduce higher class levels for larger dollar amounts in the future. Funds raised will also go toward the party’s 2018 efforts.

The fundraiser, one of several big donor events Trump will host this weekend at Mar-a-Lago, shows how Trump is slowly building a 2020 campaign apparatus even as he endures the most tumultuous stretch of his presidency. While top advisers bolt the White House and a special counsel zeroes in on the president’s ties to Russia, Trump is tapping a new campaign manager, taking steps to fend off would-be primary challengers, and lining up travel to critical 2020 states.

Read more: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/03/trump-2020-donors-bundling-433886

[PJMcK]

1. Gotta plan the next episode of his reality show (n/t)

[Roy Rolling]

2. Give Me the Money!

He gave them massive tax reductions and company buybacks, now his patrons are expected to pay up.

[Turbineguy]

3. More suckers needed!

[yallerdawg]

4. When an entire 'precedency' is a campaign ad...

we will have achieved maximum absurdity in our political system.


Our only recourse:

[safeinOhio]

5. Get Mexico to pay for it.

[Pacifist Patriot]

6. Feel free to resist this by...

contributing to my campaign in honor of his desperation.

https://www.crowdpac.com/campaigns/381393/ann-fuller

[Chemisse]

7. I doubt he is planning on running again. But pretending to is quite lucrative. n/t

[BumRushDaShow]

14. Yup

He can funnel it into some shell "PAC" and then keep all the money when he doesn't run again or loses.

[groundloop]

8. Reelected.... THAT'S funny

45* doesn't know his ass from a hole in the ground when it comes to running a country, but he sure the hell knows how to separate people from their money.

[dalton99a]

9. It's payment for services rendered

[Rainbow Droid]

10. We need to replace the Republican party with an Anti-Corruption Party.

It's the only answer. Then we'll have 2 anti-corruption parties and we can accomplish bipartisan, anti-corruption legislation.

[politicaljunkie41910]

11. Reelection campaign??????? He's joking right. Fool some fools once, shame on you.

Fool them twice, shame on all of us for not doing enough to ensure that you are never elected to anything, including dog catcher, ever again. Reelection

[ChazInAz]

12. Give 'til it hurts!

Wonder how much will vanish into his pocket and overseas accounts?

[McCamy Taylor]

13. Trump is selling favors. These are not donations. We need to be accurate.

And since it is beginning to look like he will be unable to deliver after 2019, we will see a lot more selling off of national parks and stuff, a lot more screwy executive orders on tariffs that just happen to make someone a lot of money on the stock market, a lot of purchases of overpriced crap that no one in the federal government really needs etc. Because that is all the Trump can sell right now. Oh, and pardons. He can sell pardons. Look for lots of those to be handed out in the final days of his administration.

That crazy military parade that Trump demanded---a wonder who is getting a contract for the porta-poties? Who will supply the food trucks? Who will clean the streets? Who will get a gazillion dollars to put up decorations? There are all kinds of ways that Trump can still abuse the power of his office to line his own pocket.

Bet he tries to sell some nukes to Saudi Arabia, too. If he is going to sell them reactors (for a price, I will bet that they are paying him billions for that) why not just sell them the nuclear weapons directly?

[McCamy Taylor]

15. Won't it be a hoot if Trumps banker turns out to be an NSA/CIA/FBI asset

and all the quid pro quo he is raking in comes back to haunt him and his "donors"? Presumably, he is using a foreign banker, someone Russian or Swiss. But that makes it even worse, due to the NSA can wiretap the hell out of a foreign banker. And if his banker is in the United States, Mueller will have subpoenas by now. So, how do they launder the money? Do they write checks and shake hands and call their deals gentlemens agreements"? Does anyone trust Trump, who never pays his bills to honor a gentleman's agreement?

Obviously, he plans to have a huge pile of cash waiting for him when he flees from DC in the middle of the night (maybe without Melania, if she is still angry over all his affairs). Where is he putting it?

Or maybe, there is no pile of cash. Maybe Putin has promised to take care of him. Which makes Trump Blache Dubois who has always depended upon the kindness of strangers and we all know how she ended up.

[mpcamb]

16. To keep weasel Jared afloat?