Donald Trump Will Return To Chicago Area For Fundraising Luncheon

By Stephen Gossett in News on Sep 1, 2016 2:48PM

Whether he's cancelling a rally amid rampant oppositional protest or exploiting the shooting death of Nykea Aldridge to garner votes from a community against which he’s been accused of discriminating, Donald Trump, it’s fair to say, doesn’t do so well in Chicago. But he’ll aim to do better for himself in the ‘burbs in two weeks: the GOP presidential nominee is hosting a fundraising luncheon at the Bolingbrook Golf Club on Sept. 12.

Tickets for the event start at $1,000—although that’s not enough to even secure a photo op, Crain’s reports—and they climb as high as $250,000 per couple. Organizers include Bolingbrook Mayor Roger Claar; longtime prominent Republican donor Ron Gidwitz; and Robert Grand, Trump’s finance co-chair, according to the Daily Herald. Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus will also co-host.

Gidwitz is one of a relative few notable Republican benefactors in Illinois who have gotten on board with Trump. Of three longtime GOP givers profiled in a Tribune article last week, Gidwitz is the only one ponying up for Trump. One, Gidwitz friend Dan Webb, has donated to the Hillary Clinton campaign; the other is financially abstaining. The trend bears out on the national level, too: roughly 25,000 donors contributed the maximum dollar amount to Republican candidates in primary elections; but only about 100 have since gone on to give to Trump, the Tribune reported.

Some Illinois lawmakers have similarly sought to distance themselves from Trump, most notably Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL). The incumbent, who is facing a tight race down ballot against US Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), recanted his support for the GOP nominee in June, saying Trump "has not demonstrated the temperament necessary" to be president.

Not surprisingly, Trump has no scheduled appearances in Chicago proper—even though he has taken to spending time in hostile territory as of late.