Got $70,000 Spare? You Could Have A Picture With Donald Trump

Guests at a fundraising dinner yesterday evening were offered the chance to have their picture taken with US President Donald Trump, priced at $70,000 (£53,400) per couple.

The 'Dinnner with Donald J Trump' was held to raise funds ahead of the 2020 presidential election campaign. The Washington Post's White House reporter, Josh Dawsey, shared a picture of the dinner invite on Twitter. The Republican National Committee said around 175 people were expected to attend the event at Trump's hotel Washington DC hotel, with the aim of raising more than $3 million (£2.29m).

The invite reveals that a seat at the roundtable cost $100,000 (£76,300) per ticket, with dinner priced at $35,000 (£26,700) per couple, and a photo opportunity and preferred dinner seating costing $70,000 per couple.

Trump Pence for Victory / Twitter

The president's fundraising efforts are beginning to ramp up with November mid-terms on the horizon, and Trump keen to keep hold of his majorities in the House and the Senate.

Responding to the picture of the invite on Twitter, many people seemed perplexed by the price of a seat at the dinner.

One person said: "70,000 for a picture, I would rather buy a piece of land with no wi-fi so I can't see what he is up to."

Another asked: "WTF are they eating?!"

To which another user replied: "It's at the Trump Hotel. Burnt steak with ketchup or taco bowls."

Others questioned the timing of the dinner, with Hurricane Florence looming and expected to batter the east coast with prolonged and powerful winds.

One person said: "Nothing more presidential & classy than having a big-ticket fundraiser at your own hotel, in the midst of a massive hurricane."

PA

Another agreed, saying: "Those in the path of Hurricane Florence would love to attend but are otherwise engaged."

The President was due to take part in two campaign rallies this week, but has rescheduled in order to prepare for Hurricane Florence, which has seen around 1.7m people evacuated from North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia. The president issued a tweet this afternoon (Thursday), declaring that the country was prepared for the storm.

He said: "We are completely ready for hurricane Florence, as the storm gets even larger and more powerful. Be careful!"

In an earlier tweet, Trump said that the country had got 'A pluses' for their previous hurricane management.

He said: "We got A Pluses for our recent hurricane work in Texas and Florida (and did an unappreciated great job in Puerto Rico, even though an inaccessible island with very poor electricity and a totally incompetent Mayor of San Juan). We are ready for the big one that is coming!"

The storm is forecast to first hit the Carolina region on Thursday afternoon, with winds of around 80mph. The hurricane has been downgraded to a category 2, indicating that wind speeds may not reach the levels that were initially feared. However, meteorologists are warning the storm could still pose an extreme threat as a result of huge surges, which could cause large scale flooding.

Topics: US News, Donald Trump, Politics

Jake Massey

Jake Massey is a journalist at LADbible. He graduated from Newcastle University, where he learnt a bit about media and a lot about living without heating. After spending a few years in Australia and New Zealand, Jake secured a role at an obscure radio station in Norwich, inadvertently becoming a real-life Alan Partridge in the process. From there, Jake became a reporter at the Eastern Daily Press. Jake enjoys playing football, listening to music and writing about himself in the third person.

@jakesmassey