Donald Trump Heads to LA to Start Fundraising Blitz

LOS ANGELES, CA - Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is expected to be in Los Angeles later this month to begin a series of fundraising events.

Trump will attend a May 25 dinner at the home of real estate investor Thomas Barrack Jr., with the event expected to include a photo line, cocktails and dinner, The Washington Post reported. Barrack, founder of Colony Capital, has been a business partner of Trump's and served as a deputy undersecretary in the Department of the Interior when Ronald Reagan was president.

Barrack endorsed Trump in February, calling him "one of the smartest and most astute businessmen I have ever had the pleasure of knowing."

"I have invested with Donald in a multitude of transactions over three decades and he has always exceeded my expectations on every measurable metric of excellence," Barrack said.

According to the paper, the dinner will be the first of as many as 50 fundraising events, marking a shift by Trump, who has largely funded his own presidential campaign to date but now believes he must raise up to $1 billion before the November election.

The May 25 dinner is two days after Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is scheduled to attend a pair of Los Angeles fundraisers.

City News Service