Mingling business and White House, Trump holds $10 million fundraiser at Trump hotel

Fredreka Schouten | USA TODAY

Show Caption Hide Caption Trump holds re-election fundraiser at his D.C. hotel President Trump raised eyebrows after using his DC hotel to host a fundraising event for his re-election.

WASHINGTON — President Trump dines at his hotel, golfs at his clubs and weekends at his resorts. On Wednesday night, he will keep the tradition alive, hosting the first fundraising event of his re-election campaign at the Trump International Hotel near the White House.

The money raised will help underwrite two joint fundraising committees with the Republican National Committee — Trump Victory and the Trump Make America Great Again Committee. RNC officials say the event is expected to raise about $10 million, and 300 donors will attend.

The decision to hold a fundraiser at the Trump venue has raised alarms from ethics lawyers, who have repeatedly criticized the president's decision to retain a financial interest in his global real-estate and branding empire.

Trump's fundraiser at his Washington hotel doesn't break any laws, but gives him another chance to "exploit his opportunities to promote Trump properties," said Kathleen Clark, a law professor who specializes in government ethics at Washington University in St. Louis.

How much for a seat at Trump's first re-election fundraiser? It might be more than three years before the next election but Donald Trump is already raising money for his re-election campaign. The President held a $35,000 per plate fundraising event at the Trump International Hotel.

Businesses owned by Trump made more than $14 million off his 2016 campaign, according to a Bloomberg analysis. And he has mingled official business with his presidential duties from the start of his term, hosting foreign leaders at his Florida resort, Mar-a-Lago, which he has dubbed the Winter White House.

Income at the Palm Beach resort, surged to $37.3 million between Jan. 1, 2016 and spring of this year, according to Trump's recently filed financial-disclosure report, a 25% increase from his previous disclosure.

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The donors, who are paying as much as $100,000 to participate in Wednesday night's event, may have some company.

Several liberal groups, including Public Citizen, are urging their supporters to join a protest outside the hotel to oppose efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and other Republican policies.