Former Dem fundraiser named to Trump’s inaugural committee as donations pour in

FIRST ON FOX: Lindy Li, the longtime Democratic fundraiser and critic of Kamala Harris, was named to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fundraising committee this month, a move she says has received overwhelming support from donors . including some long-time collaborators to the Democratic Party struggling to get a place at the table.

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

Li herself faced a barrage of criticism and calls to quit the party after criticizing certain spending decisions made by the Harris campaign, despite raising millions on his behalf and donating several Philadelphia-area buildings to the campaign. In turn, he expressed concern that the party’s leadership “allows no dissent, no criticism” and fails to learn from its heavy losses in the House, Senate and presidential elections.

For Li, his departure from the DNC’s national fundraising committee has been very revealing. She told Fox News in an interview this week that she was approved as a member of Trump’s inaugural fundraising committee just three days before many of the events reached capacity, forcing the committee to block the access, if only for the short term, in the hope of securing a larger place.

When he told donors they were at capacity, he noted, some he responded by doubling his offer hoping to access it.

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“The demand has just been unprecedented,” Li said of the donor response. “Honestly, Biden and Harris never had that problem. They never had to turn people away.”

Fox News Digital was told that donors offering up to $1 million to the inaugural committee have been turned away due to space limitations, as first reported by the New York Times. Since then, the inaugural committee said they are working to find a larger location for some of the events in order to meet the intense and growing demand.

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

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For donors, their contribution gives them access to an inauguration weekend agenda of highly exclusive VIP events leading up to the Inauguration Day ceremony, including intimate dinners, black-tie galas and meetings with the nominees of the cabinet It’s an opportunity to make inroads and gain influence in an incoming administration.

And ahead of Trump’s second term, many are asking themselves a lot to do so.

Jeff Bezos, CEO of AmazonMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are among the tech executives who announced in the past month that they plan to donate at least $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

For Li, a prominent fundraiser whose experience is deeply rooted in the Democratic world, raising money for Trump’s inauguration has been easier than expected.

He was formerly a member of the DNC’s national fundraising committeea membership that requires raising “millions of dollars” on behalf of Democratic candidates.

Still, he said, the inaugural committee’s donations and the enthusiasm surrounding them feel unprecedented.

“I’ve never seen anything like this,” Li said in an interview about the funding raised, which could roughly triple the amount raised by Biden in 2021 and surpass Trump’s first inaugural committee, which raised roughly $117 million.

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

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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 she is dealing with many of the same financial contributors.

“These are Democratic donors,” he said.

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

“They’re still very eager and eager to come to the table.”

Many, he said, share the belief that Trump has been “great for the business community“and we hope to build on that in future conversations with the administration.

And even donors who have been on a waiting list or declined to attend VIP events during the opening weekend due to lack of space have expressed interest in working with the administration in the future.

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

The overall reception has been “overwhelmingly positive,” Li said of the donor response. “Enthusiasm goes through the stratosphere.”