Donald Trump to visit Utah for fundraiser event

Former President Donald Trump is set to come to Utah during the last week of June for a private campaign fundraiser, the Deseret News confirmed Thursday.

Trump’s visit is planned to take place at an undisclosed hotel in Park City where a group of wealthy individuals from across Utah will host the exclusive gathering, a source with knowledge of the event said.

Official coordination efforts for the fundraiser are being led by George Glass, a Trump campaign fundraiser and former ambassador to Portugal, and Marlon Bateman, a former Trump administration State Department official, according to sources. Both declined to comment.

Trump’s visit will come shortly after the June 25 Republican primary. Multiple candidates in Utah’s Senate race to replace Sen. Mitt Romney have actively sought or would welcome a Trump endorsement, the Deseret News previously reported.

Some prominent Utah political figures, including Sen. Mike Lee, Rep. Burgess Owens and Attorney General Sean Reyes are expected to appear at the event, the source said. The elected officials did not respond to a request for comment.

The Park City event will follow a record-breaking $50.5 million fundraiser held for Trump in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 6. In between court appearances, Trump’s high-dollar fundraising tour will also include Miami, Florida, on May 5; Lexington, Kentucky, on May 15; and Las Vegas, Nevada, on June 8, National Review reported on Tuesday.

These events, organized by the Trump 47 Committee, charged attendees between $1,000 and $844,600 depending on their level of access, according to invitations obtained by National Review. The Trump 47 Committee is a joint fundraising organization that can raise money for Trump’s Save America PAC, which can later be used for campaign needs or legal bills, The Washington Post reported.

The Republican National Committee, which directs campaign operations for the party’s prospective presidential nominee, did not respond to a request for comment before the story was published.

Trump’s appearances to the Beehive State have been few and far between. He visited Utah for his first and only campaign rally in the state in March 2016, which was met with thousands of supporters and protesters in downtown Salt Lake City.

About 1,200 people attended the Infinity Event Center to hear then-candidate Trump say “I love the Mormons” and criticize Mitt Romney, who had come out against his presidential campaign two weeks earlier.

Prior to his visit, Trump had said he would not attend the GOP’s March 21 presidential debate in Salt Lake City, leading to the cancellation of the event.

Trump visited the state on one other public occasion when he announced dramatic reductions to the Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante national monuments at the state capitol.

President Joe Biden attended a campaign fundraiser in Park City in August 2023. The event was hosted by Kristi and John Cumming, founder of ski resort company Powdr, and Nancy and Mark Gilbert, former U.S. ambassador.