President Donald Trump has taken an unusually hands-on role in raising money, personally directing multimillion-dollar fundraising efforts and pushing corporate leaders for increasingly large contributions, according to a report published Thursday by The Wall Street Journal.
The Journal reported that Trump regularly calls top fundraiser Meredith O’Rourke, whom he’s dubbed the “princess of darkness,” from the White House to review who has donated and who has not. According to people familiar with the conversations, the president frequently tells O’Rourke to raise the size of her requests, with some donors being asked for as much as $50 million.
In soliciting contributions, O’Rourke has at times invoked Trump’s direct involvement, telling prospective donors, “This is very important to the president. He’s asked me to call you and ask you for this donation.” On other calls, according to the outlet, she has referred to Trump as “the boss,” saying, “the boss wants this money.”
