President Donald Trump attended a fundraising dinner for his re-election campaign in Beverly Hills Friday with ticket prices ranging from $15,000 to $150,000.
The fundraiser at the home of health care executive Lee Samson was closed to reporters, as fundraisers at homes attended by presidents of both parties traditionally are.
Tickets for the event were $15,000 for dinner, $50,000 for the opportunity to take a picture with Trump and $150,000 to participate in a roundtable discussion during the event, according to an invitation obtained by City News Service.
Trump arrived at the home at 4:40 p.m. and left at 7:07 p.m.
The presidential motorcade arrived at Santa Monica Airport at 7:24 p.m., with Trump boarding Marine One, the presidential helicopter at 7:25 p.m. The helicopter left at 7:30 p.m.
Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley declined to provide details on the next stop.
The Washington Post reported Friday afternoon that Trump plans to make unannounced visit Friday night to Trump National Golf Club in Rancho Palos Verdes. According to the paper, Trump’s son Eric is also expected to attend, along with members of the Rancho Palos Verdes City Council and other friends and supporters.
There was no immediate response to an email to the White House seeking to confirm the report.
Trump arrived at Los Angeles International Airport aboard Air Force One just before 4 p.m. after viewing a newly completed section of the border wall in Calexico. He greeted a crowd of supporters on the tarmac at LAX before stepping into a helicopter for a short trip to Santa Monica Airport, where he arrived around 4:15 p.m.
Police blocked all traffic on the eastbound Santa Monica (10) Freeway at Bundy Drive and on the northbound San Diego (405) Freeway north of the Santa Monica Freeway to accommodate the ensuing motorcade that carried Trump to Beverly Hills.
Trump is set to leave the Southland Friday night, bound for Las Vegas, where he will speak Saturday at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s Annual Leadership Meeting.
The city of Rancho Palos Verdes issued a notice closing parks, trails and parking lots surrounding the golf club property beginning at 1 p.m.
The visit is Trump’s third to the Los Angeles area as president. He headlined a Republican National Committee fundraiser near Beverly Hills in March 2018. In November, he toured areas ravaged by the Woolsey Fire in Ventura and Los Angeles counties, then met with survivors of the mass shooting at the Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks.
Barack Obama had made 21 visits to Los Angeles and Orange counties at the similar stage of his presidency, attending fundraisers during 18 of those visits.