Two high-profile tech investors will host a fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump in heavily Democratic San Francisco in June, according to a copy of an invitation sent to donors and seen by Reuters.
The June 6 reception and dinner with Mr. Trump will be hosted by venture capitalists David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, as well as Mr. Sacks’s wife, Jacqueline, the invitation said.
Reuters was not immediately able to determine the other participants. Sacks and Palihapitiya did not respond to requests for comment on the event.
While the tech industry tends to lean left – San Francisco voted 85% for Democrat Joe Biden in the 2020 election against then-President Trump – it also has some libertarian and conservative currents under -jacent.
Sacks and Palihapitiya co-host the “All-in” podcast, which has gained popularity by providing an inside look at their world of technology and wealth. In recent years, the podcast’s hosts have expressed more conservative views and criticized what they perceive as an increasingly liberal Silicon Valley culture.
The June event shows that Donald Trump is trying to expand his coalition and find new sources of funding. After a series of donor events across the country, Mr. Trump surpassed Mr. Biden in fundraising last month for the first time.
The San Francisco invitation says it costs $300,000 per person, or $500,000 per couple, to be a member of the welcoming committee. A “VIP” ticket is priced at $50,000.
David Sacks is close friends with billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Last year, Sacks and Musk hosted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis on the social media site X for the chaotic announcement of his candidacy in the Republican presidential primaries.
It was not immediately clear whether Musk might participate in Trump’s fundraising. Mr. Trump met Mr. Musk, one of the world’s richest people, in Florida last March. Mr. Musk later said he would not donate to presidential candidates.
Mr. Musk did not respond to an email Wednesday asking whether he would attend the event. (Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer. Additional reporting by Anna Tong, editing by Ross Colvin and Philippa Fletcher)
