• Join Puck

    Directly Supporting Authors

    A new economic model in which writers are also partners in the business.

    Personalized Subscriptions

    Customize your settings to receive the newsletters you want from the authors you follow.

    Stay in the Know

    Connect directly with Puck talent through email and exclusive events.

  • What is puck? Newsletters Authors Podcasts Events Gift Puck Careers

The Mar-a-Lago Ultimatum

The Trump campaign has put out the word to major G.O.P. donors that if they’re not on the Trump train by next month, it will be noted on their permanent record—and that forgiveness will get harder thereafter.

Donald Trump prepares to hold a "telerally" at the Hotel Fort Des Moines on January 13, 2024, in Des Moines, Iowa.
Trump has not exactly been traveling to St. Louis and Milwaukee to meet with the bundlers at the local Rotary Club: As could be expected of a former president, bundlers come to him. Photo: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
Theodore Schleifer
January 17, 2024

Next month, Donald Trump will host a Friday evening reception at Mar-a-Lago that, on the surface, appears to resemble any number of his previous high-dollar fundraisers at Trump Org properties. “Join us for an exclusive experience with President Donald J. Trump, 45th President of the United States,” reads the invite for the February 16 event. Tickets range from just $1,000 to $100,000, with donors at the highest level gaining access to a private roundtable, a V.I.P. reception, a Trump photo op, and a signed hat.