The inaugural committee for President-elect Donald Trump is out with its initial offerings to donors — and for major money, supporters will have prime access to the administration and first families.
According to a copy of the “58th Presidential Inaugural Committee Underwriter Benefits” brochure obtained by CNN, for $1 million, donors will get tickets to a luncheon with Cabinet appointees and congressional leadership, dinner with the Vice President-elect and his wife, lunch with the first families, tickets to an “elegant” “candlelight dinner” featuring “special appearances by” Trump, Melania Trump, Mike Pence and his wife, Karen Pence, and tickets to the parade, swearing in concert and ball.
The brochure also offers various versions of the package for the $500,000, $250,000, $100,000 and $25,000 price points. All the packages include travel bookings and tickets to various events, with decreasing amounts of tickets and less access. While $250,000 and up includes the “candlelight” dinner and first family luncheon, less than that only gets access to the official inaugural events and, for $100,000 donors, the Cabinet.
The inaugural committee is a separate entity from the campaign and the transition, and can raise money as it sees fit, though donors and bundlers of $200 or more will be made public.
Trump’s inaugural committee is chaired by wealthy investment executive Tom Barrack, a friend of Trump’s who spoke at the Republican convention this summer.
The inaugural committee confirmed the document was authentic, but said it was subject to change. The document was first reported by the Center for Public Integrity.
“The Inaugural events are, to a large extent, privately funded so as to not use taxpayer dollars,” said committee spokesman Boris Epshteyn in a statement. “For the 58th Presidential Inaugural, any and all funds raised above amounts needed to fund the Inaugural events will be donated to charitable organizations.
Epshteyn also said the inauguration would not accept any money from “state or federal registered lobbyists.”
“On November 9th our country began the peaceful transition to power that will culminate on January 20th, when our country will unite in celebrating freedom and democracy.”
It is customary for president-elects to raise money for their inauguration, which costs millions.
President Barack Obama limited his 2009 inauguration to raising $50,000 per individual, though past inaugurations had set higher limits. But for his 2013 inauguration, donor solicitations obtained by The Associated Press also sought $1 million donations.
Trump initially mostly self-financed his primary campaign, using it as a selling point on the stump that he was not beholden to special interests.
But in the general election, Trump raised hundreds of millions from private donors with the Republican National Committee, and though he pledged to spend $100 million of his own money, never met that amount, giving less than $60 million of his own money through October.