Some pay to have dinner with Trump

Some entrepreneurs are willing to spend millions of dollars to dine with the President of the United States at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, according to a new Wired article from a few days ago. The American publication managed to obtain an invitation to the latest in this series of evenings, which have become famous under the name candlelight dinner, held last Saturday. "We are pleased to invite you to a candlelight dinner with special guest President Donald J. Trump," the invitation read for potential guests, followed by "Further details will be provided after confirming attendance. Confirmations will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. Seats are very limited. Cost: $1,000,000 per person." A high price to reserve a spot at these “candlelight dinners” that business leaders seem willing to pay gladly, which even increases up to five million should they wish to meet the president in a private meeting.

"Donald J. Trump participates in this event only as a guest speaker and is not soliciting funds or donations", states the invitation, which, however, bears the MAGA Inc. (Make America Great Again) fundraising committee header, an organization that had already supported Trump in the 2024 elections and is said to be behind the organization of these candlelight dinners. However, no official statement has been released either by the White House or by the designated persons to confirm participation. It should also be noted that the president is not new to this practice, as he had already hosted two dinners at Mar-a-Lago both before taking office, on December 19, and on January 19, the eve of his inauguration, as reported by The Washington Post. This latest event, held on March 1, is the first to be recorded in the president's agenda under the label "MAGA INC. Candlelight Finance Dinner" since he took office.

These meetings present a golden opportunity for executives who wish to align themselves with Donald Trump, who certainly does not lack a vast array of supporters, especially within the technology sector. First and foremost, Elon Musk stands out (who has donated up to $260 million to support the American president's campaign), but other tech company CEOs have also joined in. Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Dara Khosrowshahi, and others have contributed millions in support of the POTUS. It is not yet entirely clear where the money raised from the candlelight dinners is going, but Wired reports that a source with direct knowledge of the dinners has stated that these funds are intended "for the library", referring to the future presidential library, which is expected to be built after Trump leaves office. To date, there are not many confirmations, except that, given the high price, Trump’s dinners have certainly diverged from the usual fundraising events organized by other U.S. presidents.