By Alexandra Ulmer
(Reuters) – Two prominent tech investors will host a fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in June, according to copies of invitations sent to donors and seen by Reuters. It is said that the event will be held in San Francisco, where there is a strong atmosphere.
The June 6 reception and dinner with President Trump will be hosted by venture capitalists David Sachs and Chamath Palihapitiya, as well as Sachs' wife, Jacqueline.
Reuters could not immediately say who else would be attending. Sachs and Palihapitiya did not respond to requests for comment on the event.
Although the tech industry tends to lean left-leaning (San Francisco voted 85% for Democrat Joe Biden over then-President Trump in the 2020 election), there are undercurrents of liberal and conservative sides. There is also.
Sachs and Palihapitiya co-host the “All-in” podcast, which gained popularity as an insider's look into their world of technology and wealth. In recent years, podcast hosts have begun expressing more conservative viewpoints and criticizing what they perceive to be the increasingly liberal Silicon Valley culture.
The June event shows how Trump is expanding his coalition and seeking new sources of fundraising: After a series of big-money events across the country, Trump surpassed Biden in fundraising for the first time last month.
According to the San Francisco invitation, it costs $300,000 per person or $500,000 per couple to be a member of the host committee, with “VIP” tickets costing $50,000.
David Sachs is a close friend of billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Sacks and Musk hosted Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on their social media site X last year when he made the confusing announcement that he was running in the Republican presidential primary.
It's unclear at this point whether Musk will participate in Trump's fundraiser. In March of this year, Trump met with Musk, one of the world's richest men, in Florida. Musk later said he would not donate money to any presidential candidates this election.
Musk did not respond to an email Wednesday asking whether he would attend the event.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer; Additional reporting by Anna Tong; Editing by Ross Colvin and Philippa Fletcher)
