President-elect Donald Trump will make a stop in Orlando for a victory rally and to raise money for the Republican National Committee and his transition to 45th President of the United States.
Trump will raise big bucks before headlining the rally, which is expected to gather 10,000 people.
Politico reported the President-elect’s first appearance will be at a Transition Finance Committee event organized by Florida Republican and top lobbyist Brian Ballard of Ballard Partners. Trump will be a “special guest” at the $5,000 per-head fundraiser.
It’s also possible Trump attends another fundraiser for the RNC happening right after the transition fundraiser. That event has a higher per-person price tag: $35,000 a head.
After schmoozing with Republican donors, Trump will head to his victory rally. The rally will be held at the Orlando Amphitheater at the Central Florida Fairgrounds as part of Trump’s “USA Thank You Tour 2016.”
Vice President-elect Mike Pence, Gov. Rick Scott and Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi will also be tagging along at the rally.
Scott chaired a pro-Trump super PAC which dumped millions of dollars into television ads during the election and has drawn comparisons of his own political careers to Trump’s, since both were outsiders before taking office.
Unlike Trump’s presidential campaign rallies, Friday’s gathering aims to appeal more to voters who came out and supported him during the election.
The businessman-turned-President Elect frequently visited Florida while campaigning for president, but Friday’s stop will be Trump’s first time back in Florida since winning the presidential election in a historic upset over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton last month.
Florida helped to carry Trump to victory last month when he clinched a win in his home state, which carries 29 electoral votes.
The Sunshine State was crucial for Trump’s victory since it is the swing state with the highest number of electoral votes. Had Trump lost Florida and another swing state like Ohio, Clinton would have come out with a win on Election Day.
Democrats went into the election confident they would keep Florida blue for yet another election cycle since President Barack Obama had won the state in 2008 and in 2012.
Trump will be sworn into office in January.
Reach reporter Allison Nielsen by email at allison@sunshinestatenews.com or follow her on Twitter: @AllisonNielsen.
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