By Alexandra Ulmer
(Reuters) – Two prominent technology investors will hold fundraiser for Republican presidential candidate donald trump in deeply 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 Trump will be hosted by venture capitalists David Sacks and Chamath Palihapitiya, as well as Sacks’ wife, Jacqueline, the invitation states.
Reuters was unable to immediately determine who else will be present. Sacks and Palihapitiya did not respond to requests for comment about 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 leanings.
Sacks and Palihapitiya co-host the podcast “All-in,” which has gained popularity for giving an insider’s look into their world of technology and wealth. In recent years, podcast hosts have expressed more conservative views and criticized what they see as Silicon Valley’s increasingly liberal culture.
The June event shows how Trump is trying to broaden his coalition and look for new sources of fundraising. After a series of high-dollar donor events across the country, Trump surpassed Biden in fundraising last month for the first time.
San Francisco’s invitation says it costs $300,000 per person, or $500,000 per couple, to be a member of the host committee. A ‘VIP’ ticket costs US$50,000.
David Sacks is a close friend of billionaire Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Sacks and Musk last year welcomed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to the social media site X for his chaotic announcement that he was running in the Republican presidential primary.
It was not immediately clear whether Musk would be able to attend Trump’s fundraiser. Trump met with Musk, one of the richest individuals in the world, in Florida in March this year. Musk later said he would not donate money to any presidential candidate in this election.
Musk did not respond to an email Wednesday about whether he would attend the event.
(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer. Additional reporting by Anna Tong, editing by Ross Colvin and Philippa Fletcher)
