President Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee have raised at least $10 million through fundraisers that are set to take place in the Hamptons on Friday, according to two people with direct knowledge of the matter.
The Trump Victory Committee, a joint fundraising operation between the Trump campaign the RNC, raised the hefty sum with high ticket prices for fundraisers at the homes of real estate executive Joe Farrell and Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, whose company owns Equinox and SoulCycle. Trump is slated to attend both events.
"This is the easiest fundraising I've ever been associated with," said one of the people.
Moments after publication, RNC officials confirmed they expect to raise $10 million between the two events.
Tickets for the Farrell event sold for up to $250,000, as CNBC first reported, and is expected to have at least 300 people in attendance, according to a person familiar with the planning.
Meanwhile, Democrats who are vying for their party's presidential nomination haven't been able to keep up with the incumbent Trump in the fundraising game because he hasn't had to worry about spending resources on an opponent within the Republican Party. Former Vice President Joe Biden, by comparison, raised $1 million in his June swing through New York.
Representatives for the Trump campaign did not return repeated requests for comment.
The gathering at Ross's home, which was first reported by The Washington Post, has triggered threats of a boycott of the two fitness centers. Equinox and SoulCycle distanced themselves from the Ross event and said they had nothing to do with it. Ross himself defended holding the fundraiser, but noted that he still at times disagrees with Trump on some issues.
"I have known Donald Trump for 40 years, and while we agree on some issues, we strongly disagree on many others and I have never been bashful about expressing my opinions," Ross said in a statement Wednesday.
Others expected to join the Farrell gathering include Donald Trump Jr. and his girlfriend and former Fox News personality Kimberly Guilfoyle. RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel, RNC Co-Chairman Tommy Hicks Jr., RNC Finance Chair Todd Ricketts and Trump campaign manager Brad Parscale are listed as invitees to the event.
Political strategists consider the Hamptons a fundraising gold mine for politicians. And the Trump haul this week shows that Republican donors are shrugging off the president's controversial comments and are instead focusing more on his business-friendly policies.
Privately, often donors aren't fans of the president's bomb-throwing tweets, but, according to people with knowledge of these conversations, they are willing to ignore them because of how he has backed their industries with tax cuts.
In the second quarter alone, Trump and the RNC combined to raise over $100 million with the help of some GOP financiers that stood on the sidelines of his candidacy in 2016.