Donald Trump to attend May fundraiser in Kentucky. Tickets won't come cheap

Former President Donald Trump is coming to Lexington next month to raise funds for his campaign war chest.

Kentuckians who want to dine with the presumptive Republican nominee on May 15 will need deep pockets. Tickets start at $25,000 per couple and range up to nearly $845,000, according to a report from the National Review.

The Lexington dinner is part of a series of dinners sponsored by a newly formed committee called Trump 47. The committee hosted a dinner in Palm Beach, Florida, earlier this month and also plans dinners in Las Vegas and Miami.

One name at the top of the invitation — Kelly Craft — might raise some eyebrows in Kentucky.

Kelly is the wife of billionaire Joe Craft, and she and Trump enjoyed a good relationship during his presidency, with Trump choosing her to serve as ambassador to first Canada and then the United Nations.

But when Kelly Craft made a bid for the Republican primary for governor last year, Trump had already announced his support for her competitor, Daniel Cameron.

Jackon Family Wine owner Barbara Banke is also serving as a host, according to the invitation posted by the National Review. She also owns Stonestreet Farm, a Lexington stable.

What is Trump 47?

The Trump 47 committee formed in January. It has raised more than $23 million and had close to $13 million on hand at the end of March, according to SEC filings.

It is a joint fundraising committee that can collect money from and distribute money to a long list of organizations, including the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and many state Republican parties, including Kentucky’s.

Some of the money raised at the Lexington event will likely go to paying Trump’s legal fees.

One of the groups making up the committee is the Save America leadership PAC, which has so far spent $76 million on Trump’s legal fees.

The invitation to the Trump 47 event in Palm Beach, Florida, earlier this month specified that the funds raised would be allocated among the various groups making up the joint fundraising committee, with $6,600 per ticket going to Trump’s campaign committee, $5,000 to the Save America PAC, up to $413,000 going to the Republican National Committee and the rest, if any, going to state Republican parties.

Trump’s fundraising efforts have been hampered by the multiple criminal trials he is facing and his mounting legal fees.

He is also being out-raised by President Joe Biden, whose campaign raised a whopping $90 million in March alone. All told, the Democrats report having more than $192 million in campaign funds on hand — more than double what the Republicans have on hand.

Reach Rebecca Grapevine at rgrapevine@courier-journal.com or follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @RebGrapevine.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Donald Trump to attend Kentucky fundraiser with Kelly and Joe Craft