Champagne flowed at bars set up around the pool, a canceled TV star made jokes about menstruation, and the biggest force in Republican politics pretended to spar with a mixed martial arts champion.
This is what political fundraising will look like in 2024.
On Wednesday night, Kari Lake supporters gathered at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, to boost her Senate bid with a cool $1 million.
Donald Trump’s home is the not-so-secret fundraising weapon for Republicans locked in costly battles, raising millions of dollars that party officials hope will not only propel the former president to victory but also fund the election.
The race in Arizona could determine which party controls the Senate and is shaping up to be the most expensive race in the country.
Republican Senate hopeful Kari Lake (center) posed with supporters poolside at Mar-a-Lago Wednesday night at a $1 million fundraising event.
Attendees had to shell out $1,000 just to get to the valet parking service. Couples could purchase the ‘sea level experience’ for $100,000, including a yacht trip with Lake and two nights at Mar-a-Lago.
For $50,000, you get a private dinner with Lake.
Campaign officials said the night’s total haul was $1 million, enough to make a decent dent in the impressive $7.5 million raised last quarter by his opponent, Rep. Ruben Gallego.
Lake told DailyMail.com that winning was more about the message than the money.
‘But tonight we are setting the record for a political candidate in the history of Mar-a-Lago. And then I’m proud of that,” she said.
‘And he tells me that the people around me came from Arizona and all over. And they recognize that this is a moment in our history.”
Three years after Trump was down and out, lost the 2020 election and saw his allies abandon him following the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the political crunch has returned under the palm trees of Mar-a-Lago.
Everywhere, glamorous women with full lips and backless dresses rubbed shoulders with bushy-bearded MAGA generals in the meme wars and Trump campaign officials.
Palm Beach’s high proportion of billionaires makes the club a target-rich environment for politicians seeking cash.
Roseanne Barr gave a crowd-pleasing spin on all-female armies and spoke about her past as a ‘bitter Jew’
The best tickets for the event were priced at $100,000 per couple, up to $1,000 per person.
Ohio Republican Bernie Moreno, who had just won his own Senate primary last month, worked the crowd. He recently held his own $350,000 fundraiser here as he faces Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown.
“We have to raise an amazing amount of money,” he said. ‘Sherrod Brown has gotten all the special interest groups behind him.
“So we have to make sure we go out and raise money as well.”
Among the audience was Russell Vought, a senior White House official in the Trump administration, who is crafting a plan for a second term.
Lifelong firebrand Roger Stone posed for selfies with fans and served as MC introducing Roseanne Barr, one of three comedians who took the stage.
‘It’s time there was a woman in the Senate. It’s time there was a woman everywhere,” she said to roars of approval.
‘You know why? Because anything a man can do. A woman can get another man to do even better.
The star on duty was Donald Trump who delighted the attendees by making an appearance
Trump’s presence is a sure way to attract supporters and donors for a big payday.
For Republicans running in 2024, Mar-a-Lago offers chance of big payday
Her jokes delighted the audience, despite some nervous laughter when she mentioned the idea of an all-female army, all on her period at the same time.
“We could win some of these damn wars for a change, you know what I mean?”
Lake has been a frequent visitor to Mar-a-Lago, sparking frequent speculation that she was seeking the role of Trump’s running mate.
On Wednesday night, he took in his surroundings, from the members’ patio, where chefs in white hats oversaw a smoking grill, to the terra cotta tiles on the roof.
‘This is a place where MAGA comes to get excited and unite, because we have seven months ahead of us that are going to decide the fate of our country,’ he told the audience.
‘Can we save our country? I think we can.’
As he spoke, the waiters brought in plates piled high with grilled prawns, hamburgers, and pink lamb chops.
The idea of the evening was to recover the comedy of the left. Barr was kicked off her own show after being accused of posting racist tweets and says she was canceled because of her conservative views.
“We’re not going to be PC. They’re not going to wake us up,” he said. “We’re comedians for God’s sake.”
Lake speaks with former North Carolina Rep. Madison Cawthorn
The place settings were decorated with cacti in a nod to Lake’s home state of Arizona.
The biggest cheer came when Trump arrived at her side, taking time out from his usual nightly routine of DJing on his iPad at the dinner buffet.
“At Mar-a-Lago we don’t do this very often, we have to be very select, very special,” he said of the fundraiser, assuming his role as the club’s ingratiating host. “And it has to be a special person, otherwise we don’t do it.”
He invited 5-foot-11 mixed martial arts star Colby Covington on stage to tell a story about how tough guys sometimes come in short packages.
And he delighted the crowd with a self-deprecating story about his age, describing how a kindergarten friend introduced himself to his wife Melania.
“She said, ‘I’ve known your husband for 71 years,'” Trump continued.
“I said, ‘You don’t have to say that.’
It’s the first time he winces in pain. She said: “I can’t believe it. He sounds a bit old.”
After his speech, Lake mingled with guests around the pool. The event was held indoors as night fell, as ticket holders had accumulated the most cash.
Outside, Madison Cawthorn, a former North Carolina congresswoman, said Mar-a-Lago’s appeal was due to the presence of Trump, who had sparked the MAGA movement.
“And coming to Mar-a-Lago is great because you’re surrounded by so many like-minded patriots from all over the world, from all over the country, people who are successful in their own right in some way and it’s just really amazing,” he said.