Former Dem fundraiser named to Trump inauguration committee as donations pour in

FIRST ON FOX: Longtime Democratic Alliance fundraiser and critic of Mala Harris, Lindy Li, was appointed this month to President-elect Donald Trump’s first fundraising committee, a face she says has been met with significant support from donors, including some longtime Democratic Party donors who are on the ballot. find a place at the table.

Li’s appointment to Trump’s fundraising committee was previewed exclusively on Fox News Digital. It comes weeks after Li announced his decision to leave the Democratic Party last month, citing what he described as its widespread culture of finger-pointing, vitriol and blame after the 2024 election.

Li himself has endured criticism and calls to quit the party after criticizing certain spending decisions by the Harris campaign, despite having raised millions on its behalf and donated several Philadelphia-area properties to the campaign. He also expressed concern about the party’s leadership “not allowing opposition, not criticizing” and failing to learn from their extensive losses in the House, Senate and presidential elections.

For Li, his departure from the DNC’s national fundraising committee was an eye-opener. He told Fox News in an interview this week that he was approved as a member of Trump’s first fundraising committee just three days before many of the events reached the threshold, forcing the committee to block access, if the deadline is near, in hopes of securing a larger venue.

When he told donors they were powerful, he noted, some responded by doubling what they gave in hopes of gaining access.

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“The demand has never been there before,” Li said of the response from sponsors. “The truth is, Biden and Harris have never had this issue. They have never had to turn people away.”

Fox News Digital was told that donors who gave up to $1 million to the original committee were turned away due to space limitations, as first reported by the New York Times. Since then, the established committee said it is working to find a bigger place for some of the events to meet the intense and growing demand.

So far, Trump’s founding committee has raised a record $170 million in donations, with proceeds used to fund inauguration weekend and long-term projects, such as a presidential library.

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Lindy Li is seen in a 2015 photo (Charles Ommanney/Washington Post via Getty Images)

For donors, their contribution gives them access to the opening weekend’s program of very exclusive VIP events before the Inauguration Day ceremony, including intimate dinners, black galleries and sit-downs with Cabinet appointees. It’s an opportunity to step in and gain influence from the incoming administration.

And before Trump’s second term, many spent a lot of time doing just that.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are all among the tech executives who have announced within the past month that they plan to donate at least $1 million to Trump’s first fund.

For Li, a prominent fundraiser whose experience is concentrated in the country of Democrats, the struggle to raise money for Trump’s inauguration has been easier than expected.

Li previously served as a member of the the DNC’s national fundraising committeemembership that required raising “millions of dollars” on behalf of Democratic candidates.

Still, he said, the initial committee’s contributions and the enthusiasm surrounding them felt unprecedented.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Li said in a discussion of the proposed funding, which could triple Biden’s 2021 fundraising and surpass Trump’s first campaign committee, which raised nearly $117 million.

The committee expects donations to rise to more than $200 million, according to estimates shared with Fox News Digital.

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Lindy Li, former DNC finance committee member, talks to ‘Fox & Friends Weekend’ after the 2024 election. (Fox Stories)

Asked if it was difficult to build a Republican donor base less than a month after leaving the Democratic Party, Li told Fox News that he was dealing with many of the same donors.

“These are Democratic Alliance donors,” he said.

While Li noted that they are not among the liberal Democrat donors he has worked with, “They are still giving,” he said.

“They are still eager and willing to come to the table.”

Many, he said, share the belief that Trump has “been good to the business community” and he hopes to build on that in future talks with the administration.

And even patrons who were waitlisted or denied access to VIP events on the first weekend due to lack of space have expressed interest in working with management in the future.

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Just yesterday, he said, another donor commented, “‘You know, even if we can’t come this time, please let us know the next time we show our support.’

The overall reception has been “very positive,” Li said of the response from donors. “Enthusiasm just goes through the stratosphere.”