October 22, 2017
Trump-Backed Super PAC to Hold Fundraising Meeting in Texas Tuesday
President Donald Trump’s political operation will accelerate its planning for the 2018 and 2020 elections this week, with a group of deep-pocketed donors gathering in Texas to plot the path forward, according to four people involved in planning the event.
Oilman T. Boone Pickens will host Trump’s financial backers at his Mesa Vista ranch on Tuesday. The group of two dozen contributors, which will include Republican businessmen Roy Bailey and Tommy Hicks, will lay out plans to raise money for the Trump-aligned America First Action super PAC. The organization, which is the primary Trump-backed outside group, is expected to play a role in a number of 2018 midterm races.
Bailey is spearheading an effort to establish a fundraising committee for the super PAC. Those involved in the group include energy executive Harold Hamm, real estate investor Jim Wilson, businessman Doug Deason and investor Jim Lee.
Trump’s son, Donald Trump Jr., is slated to address the meeting. The younger Trump recently cut a check to the super PAC, according to two people familiar with the donation. The organization’s president, Brian O. Walsh, will also give a presentation.
It will be America First Action’s first major organizational meeting. While much of the focus will be on 2018, there is also expected to be discussion of 2020. Many of the people raising money for the group are likely to be part of the fundraising team on Trump’s reelection campaign.
“The Trump-Pence administration is making bold progress and we expect America First to play a key role in helping accomplish the mission,” Hicks said in a statement.
America First Action has been largely quiet this year, though it did invest in the Alabama special election on behalf of GOP Sen. Luther Strange. The super PAC and its allied nonprofit, America First Policies, have raised around $25 million, according to an official.
The president will be in Dallas on Wednesday for a fundraiser benefiting his reelection campaign. About $4 million is expected to be raised.