The Trump campaign told donors at a private Republican retreat in Palm Beach, Florida, that it raised $76 million in April between the campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to two sources present for the briefing.
The retreat brought together wealthy GOP donors and potential vice presidential contenders that Donald Trump is considering, including Senators Marco Rubio, Tim Scott and J.D. Vance, Representative Elise Stefanik, and the governors Doug Burgum of North Dakota and Kristi Noem of South Dakota.
Guests were shuttled to Mr. Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club from a nearby hotel for remarks from the former president on Saturday. He attacked the felony charges against him and the prosecutors who have indicted him, a source in the room said. Mr. Trump referred to the special counsel Jack Smith as “deranged” and an “evil thug,” according to another person present.
“Once I got indicted, I said, ‘Holy [expletive], I just got indicted. Me. I got indicted,'” the former president said.
Mr. Trump stated that President Biden is “running a Gestapo administration” against him, the person at the fundraiser said.
“And it’s the only thing they have,” Mr. Trump added. “It’s the only way they’re going to win, in their opinion, and it’s actually killing them. But it doesn’t bother me.”
There was also a panel on Saturday evening featuring Republican Senate candidates Bernie Moreno of Ohio, Representative Jim Banks of Indiana and Dave McCormick of Pennsylvania.
In a closed-door briefing, donors were told that based on internal polling, the Trump campaign could be competitive in Minnesota and Virginia, two states that went for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Mr. Biden in 2020, neither of which is considered a battleground in 2024.
Mr. Biden won Minnesota by about 7 percentage points in 2020, and the state has not voted for a Republican presidential candidate since 1972. He won Virginia by 10 points, although the state elected a Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, the following year.
The fundraising numbers announced by the Trump team come as the campaign attempts to close a financial gap with Democrats, who had an over $25 million cash advantage as of early April. A top Trump adviser said the $76 million “exceeded all goals” for the month.
The figures cannot be confirmed independently until campaigns and political groups file monthly reports with the Federal Election Commission later in May.
At Friday’s dinner for retreat guests, the menu included a baby greens salad, beef filet and scallops, and key lime pie, according to a copy obtained by CBS News. On Saturday night, dessert was coconuts branded with “Trump 47.”