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Trump charging people $150,000 to talk to him on rare California visit

Tickets start at $15,000 - with those hoping to get a photograph with the president to be charged $50,000

Chris Riotta
New York
Wednesday 27 March 2019 17:24 GMT
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Donald Trump is embarking on a trip to California next week as part of his re-election campaign efforts – and plans to charge up to $150,000 (£113,556) for the opportunity to meet him.

An invitation to the upcoming event obtained by the local City News Service in Los Angeles, California showed tickets starting at $15,000 (£11,351), which price tag only includes dinner.

For those hoping to get a photograph with Mr Trump, the event will charge $50,000 (£37,845) per ticket.

And anyone who would like the chance to speak with Mr Trump as part of a roundtable discussion at the California event will have to pay $150,000 towards his election campaign fund.

It remains unclear exactly how many tickets are available to participate in the roundtable discussion, or where exactly the event will be held when Mr Trump is due to appear on 5 April.

Presidential travel is usually not disclosed until after the commander in chief arrives at a designated location.

The White House did not immediately return requests for comment.

The president has routinely held campaign rallies and events throughout the course of his tenure in the White House, though he typically ventures to states he won in 2016 to meet with supporters and reignite his calls for things like border security and American jobs.

It comes after it emerged nearly $1.3m (£990,000) of donations to Mr Trump’s re-election campaign had subsequently been transferred to businesses owned by the US president.

The latest approval ratings show Mr Trump with just below 42 per cent of support across the country – though, on average, he is much less popular in California than the rest of the country.

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The president holds just 30 per cent of support statewide, according to a January approval poll conducted by the Public Policy Institute of California.

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