First on Fox: Lindy Lee, a longtime Democratic fundraiser and Kamala Harris critic, was named this month to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fundraising committee, a sweeping change she says has been met with overwhelming support from donors. Including from some long-time contributors For the Democratic Party vying for a place at the table.
Lee's appointment to Trump's fundraising committee was previewed exclusively on Fox News Digital. This comes just weeks after Lee announced her decision to do so Leave the Democratic Party last month, citing what it described as its broader culture of finger-pointing, scathing accusations and blame-shifting in the wake of the 2024 election.
Lee herself has endured a torrent of criticism and calls to leave the party after she criticized some of Harris' campaign's spending decisions, even though she raised millions for it and donated several buildings in the Philadelphia area to the campaign. She, in turn, expressed her concerns about “the party leadership not allowing opposition and criticism” and its failure to learn from its significant losses in the House of Representatives, Senate, and presidential elections.
For Lee, her departure from the NDP's National Fundraising Committee came as a surprising surprise. 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 events reached capacity, forcing the committee to block access, if only in the near term, in hopes of securing a larger venue. .
When she told donors they had reached their capacity, she pointed to some of them They responded by doubling their offer Hoping to arrive.
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President-elect Donald Trump and his wife Melania walk along Pennsylvania Avenue before being sworn in for his first term. Trump is preparing for his second inauguration in 2025, for which he has amassed record-setting fundraising numbers. (Evan Vucci/USA Today Network)
“The demand is unprecedented,” Lee said of the donor response. “Honestly, Biden and Harris have never had this problem. They've never had to turn people away.”
Fox News Digital was told that donors offering up to $1 million to the inaugural committee were turned away due to space constraints, as first reported by The New York Times. Since then, the inaugural committee said it has been working on finding a larger location for some events in order to meet intense and growing demand.
To date, Trump's inauguration committee has raised a record $170 million in donations, with proceeds used to fund the inauguration weekend and long-term projects, such as the presidential library.
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Lindy Lee is seen in a 2015 photo (Charles Omani/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
For donors, their contributions give them access to the Inauguration Weekend agenda and exclusive VIP events leading up to the Inauguration Day Gala, including intimate dinners, black-tie parties and sit-downs with Cabinet nominees. It is an opportunity to make progress and gain influence in the next administration.
And ahead of Trump's second term, many are spending significant time doing just that.
Amazon CEO Jeff BezosMeta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman are all among the tech executives who announced over the past month that they plan to donate at least $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.
For Lee, a prominent fundraiser with experience largely rooted in the Democratic world, focusing on raising money for Trump's inauguration was easier than expected.
Lee previously served as a member of the National Democratic Party National Fundraising CommitteeMembership requires raising “millions of dollars” for Democratic candidates.
However, she said the inaugural committee donations and the enthusiasm surrounding them seem unprecedented.
“I've never seen anything like this,” Lee said in an interview about the funding raised, which could triple the amount Biden raised in 2021 and exceed Trump's first inaugural committee, which raised nearly $117 million.
The committee expects donations to rise to more than $200 million, according to estimates shared with Fox News Digital.
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Former NDP Finance Committee member Lindy Lee speaks to “Fox & Friends Weekend” after the 2024 election. (Fox News)
Asked if it was difficult to build a Republican donor base less than a month after leaving the Democratic Party, Lee told Fox News that she deals with many of the same financial contributors.
“These are Democratic donors,” she said.
While Lee noted that they are not among the most liberal Democratic donors she has worked with, “they are still donating.”
“They are still very excited and ready to come to the table.”
She said many shared the belief that Trump was “great for him.” Business community“We hope to build on this in future conversations with management.”
Even donors who were waitlisted or turned away from VIP events during the opening weekend due to space constraints have expressed interest in working with the administration in the future.
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Just yesterday, one donor said: “You know, even if we can't come this time, please let us know next time so we can show our support,” she added.
The reception as a whole has been “very positive,” Lee said of the donor response. “The enthusiasm is just stratospheric.”
