Trump Fans Asked to Cough Up $88K for Photo in GOP Cash Grab

Politics admin September 2, 2026 0 Comments

Trump Fans Asked to Cough Up $88K for Photo in GOP Cash Grab

A picture is worth a thousand words—and $88,600, if GOP donors want theirs taken with Donald Trump next week.

The Republican National Committee is holding two events on Sept. 9 and 10 in Dallas as part of a midterm convention, during which Trump and Vice President JD Vance will appear at roundtables and give keynote addresses.

Each event is pricey to attend, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, not including the cost of a photo.

Just getting in the door at the Sept. 9 event with Trump, 80, costs $250,000, according to an RNC invitation seen by the outlet. Donors who then want their photo taken with the president must pay $88,600 more.

To see Vance, 41, the following day costs $75,000, and a photo with him runs $35,000, the invitation says.

The Daily Beast has contacted the RNC and the White House for comment.

The fundraiser in Texas comes as that state’s Democratic Senate candidate, James Talarico, has massively outraised Republican Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, $68 million to $9 million, the Journal noted. Several election forecasters consider the race a toss-up.

Four other elections for Senate seats held by Republicans are also deemed battlegrounds: Alaska, Iowa, Ohio, and Maine.

In some states, the early voting window opens later this month.

Meanwhile, the Trump-aligned super PAC MAGA Inc. has plenty of cash to use on the midterms: more than $400 million. Over $800,000 of that was used last month to help South Carolina Sen. Darline Graham advance to the general election, much to the surprise of her primary opponent, Rep. Ralph Norman.

MAGA Inc. hasn’t publicly announced any spending plans against Democrats, which has led some Republicans to worry about Texas in particular.

“They keep saying they’ll spend, but they haven’t,” a senior GOP source told CNN.

Spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer told CNN that the super PAC “will be hosting events throughout the nation” leading up to the midterms, but to date it hasn’t announced any events in Texas.