Mercers, Bigelow Among Attendees for Trump Palm Beach Fundraiser

(Bloomberg) -- Republican mega-donors Rebekah and Robert Mercer, hotel developer Robert Bigelow and oil tycoon Harold Hamm are among the contributors expected to attend an upcoming fundraiser for Donald Trump, a sign the presumptive GOP nominee is reeling in some of the party’s biggest backers.

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The anticipated attendees range from longtime Trump supporters to those who have distanced themselves from the former president in recent years, according to a person who has viewed the invitation for the April 6 event. The growing list of people committing to giving to Trump’s campaign demonstrates his tightening grasp on the donor class that spent much of last year pining for an alternative candidate.

Rebekah Mercer, and her father Robert, were previously major Republican donors, who have stepped back from Trump and other conservative political causes in recent years. Bigelow, who was Ron DeSantis’s largest donor during the primary, said earlier this year he gave to cover some of Trump’s legal fees and has pledged another $20 million to his allied super political action committee.

Hedge fund manager John Paulson and Howard W. Lutnick, the chairman and CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald, are among the hosts for the fundraiser, which will be held in Palm Beach, Florida. Other attendees include grocery store magnate John Catsimatidis, Key Square Group’s Scott Bessent, real estate developer Steve Wynn, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson, and Chicago Cubs co-owner Todd Ricketts.

Earlier: John Paulson, Howard Lutnick to Host Trump Palm Beach Fundraiser

Several former Trump administration officials and political allies are among those invited, including former Ambassador to Spain Duke Buchan, former Ambassador to France and Monaco Jamie McCourt, former Georgia Senator Kelly Loeffler and Wilbur Ross, who served as Trump’s Commerce secretary.

The event is one of the first large-scale fundraisers for Trump since he became the presumptive Republican nominee. That allows him to join forces with the Republican National Committee and state parties to raise money in much larger amounts. During the primary, he could only accept up to $6,600 per donor. He can now accept checks of $814,600 per invitee or twice that for a couple.

Trump trails Biden significantly on fundraising, which could put him at a disadvantage in the general election. The Trump campaign spent more than it raised in January and allied political action committees are spending millions on his legal defense that would otherwise go to reelection efforts. The RNC’s cash raised also lags behind its Democratic counterpart.

His campaign is required to report its latest fundraising figures for February to the Federal Election Commission by Wednesday.

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