The President of the United States, Donald Trump, is charging five million dollars (€4.7 million) to business leaders who want to have dinner with the head of state at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to the British newspaper The Guardian.
At the most recent “candlelight dinner”—the name given to these types of events organized by Trump—held last Saturday, guests spent one million dollars (€935,000) just to reserve a seat, according to an invitation obtained by the American magazine Wired.
“You are invited to a candlelight dinner with special guest President Donald J. Trump. Space is very limited. One million dollars per person. Donald J. Trump is appearing at this event only as a featured speaker; he is not soliciting funds or donations,” reads the invitation, as cited by Wired.
The invitation header includes a reference to “MAGA,” an acronym for Make America Great Again, which, beyond being a campaign slogan, is a political organization in the United States associated with the president. It supported Trump’s presidential campaign and raised $400 million (€374 million) in 2024 alone.
The American newspaper The Washington Post had previously revealed that Trump organized two similar dinners before taking office—one in December and another in January, on the eve of his inauguration.
Donald Trump has been criticized for his recent proximity to billionaires such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos, who stood alongside the president at his inauguration.
These dinners are being seen as a way for Trump’s team to take advantage of business leaders’ eagerness to be closer to the head of state, raising ethical concerns.
U.S. media outlets also report that the destination of the millions of dollars raised at these dinners remains unknown, although the MAGA sponsorship, prominently displayed at the top of the invitation, is being considered a possible clue.
Notícias ao Minuto , 03/05/2025
