Trump raged at billionaire donors during private dinner and called Harris a slur: report

12 October 2024

Former President Donald Trump recently had dinner with several high-profile billionaire Republican donors in his Trump Tower penthouse, and spent virtually the entire event complaining about how they're not doing enough to help him.

That's according to the New York Times, which reported that Trump is "frustrated" about consistently losing the money race to Vice President Kamala Harris. In addition to lashing out at his wealthy benefactors, the ex-president also reportedly called Harris "retarded," which the Special Olympics has described as "a form of hate speech."

The Times' Maggie Haberman, Shane Goldmacher and Jonathan Swan reported that Trump "tore through a bitter list of grievances" he had with the donors, saying they "needed to do more, appreciate him more and help him more." He also attempted to ingratiate himself by reminding his guests that he lowered their taxes when he was in office.

The former president also complained about Jewish Americans still preferring Harris over him, saying they needed to "have their heads examined" for voting for the Democratic ticket given Trump's record on Israel (71% of Jewish voters in the seven swing states likely to decide the election favor Harris). The American Jewish Committee has said previously that "dual loyalty" — that Jewish Americans all have an allegiance to Israel as well as the U.S. — is an anti-Semitic trope.

"The rant, described by seven people with knowledge of the meal who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations, underscored a reality three weeks before Election Day: Mr. Trump’s often cantankerous mood in the final stretch," the Times reported. "And one of the reasons for his frustration is money. He’s trailing his Democratic rival in the race for cash and has had to hustle to keep raising it."

Since she became the last-minute Democratic presidential nominee in July, Harris has been a fundraising juggernaut. Her campaign out-raised Trump's in July, August and September, and has been consistently shattering campaign finance records. In just her short time as a presidential candidate, Harris raised more than $1 billion, which is more than Trump has raised the entire year.

Some of the guests at the dinner included hedge fund billionaire Paul Singer, who has been a reliable donor to Republican campaigns and pro-Israel causes, along with Chicago Cubs owner Joe Ricketts and his son Todd. Billionaire investment banker Warren Stephens was also present at the dinner, as well as former Education Secretary Betsy DeVos — who notably resigned from her post after the January 6, 2021 insurrection. Despite Trump's tone, there was little indication the donors would stop backing him.

“President Trump was in good form,” Todd Ricketts told the Times. “It was a great dinner and we left more emphatic than ever to help get him back into the White House.”

Trump has had to rely more on billionaires like the ones at the Trump Tower dinner, given the sluggish pace of his small-dollar fundraising operations. Earlier this week, Newsweek reported that small donations to Trump — characterized as $200 per contribution or less — are drying up, while Harris is still amassing significant sums from small donors.

"I am sick of them asking for money," retired Republican Susan Brito told the Associated Press (AP), who has given roughly $70 to Republicans via their WinRed platform. "I am disabled, you are sending me text, after text, after text."

Click here to read the Times' report in full (subscription required).

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