Jared Kushner pitching donors on father-in-law Trump, sources say

[May 10, 2024]  By Alexandra Ulmer and Aram Roston
 
(Reuters) - Donald Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner, has been making calls to encourage donors to attend a Trump fundraiser in New York, two sources told Reuters, in one of the first indications of Kushner working to help re-elect his father-in-law.  

Former U.S. President Donald Trump shakes hands with his son-in-law Jared Kushner in front of his son Eric after Trump announced that he will once again run for U.S. president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election during an event at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida, U.S. November 15, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File photo

A former White House adviser to the former president, Kushner stepped away from politics after Trump's term ended in 2021 and founded Miami-based private equity firm Affinity Partners.

His wife Ivanka, Trump's daughter, declared at the beginning of Trump's third run for the presidency in November 2022 that she did not plan to be involved in his campaign and wanted to prioritize her children.

It was not immediately clear whether the previously unreported fundraising push by Kushner is a one-off event or a sign he is becoming more involved in Trump's campaign, which is a leaner, more disciplined operation than in 2016 and 2020, when Trump's family members played key roles.

Two sources told Reuters that Kushner has been calling donors ahead of a May 14 Manhattan fundraiser for Trump, who is facing Democrat Joe Biden in the November presidential election. Kushner's parents, Seryl and Charles Kushner, are among more than a dozen co-hosts for the event, according to an invitation.

"He has called a few people," one source said of Kushner, asking to remain anonymous as the conversations were private. A second source said Kushner called them, inviting them to attend the fundraiser and asking for names of other prospective donors.

Kushner's firm has received major Middle Eastern investments, including a reported $2 billion from the Saudi Arabian government.

"Jared supports his father-in-law and is happy to connect the many people who get in touch with him looking to help the campaign," a spokesperson for Kushner said.

The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for information.

Trump's daughter-in-law Lara Trump is co-chair of the Republican National Committee, and four of Trump's five children will be delegates representing Florida at the Republican National Convention in July. Ivanka Trump will not be among them, suggesting she is sticking to her pledge to stay out of politics.

Trump in 2020 pardoned Kushner's father, Charles Kushner, a real estate developer who was sentenced to two years in prison after pleading guilty in 2004 to 18 counts of tax evasion, witness tampering and making unlawful campaign donations.

Last year, Charles Kushner gave the pro-Trump outside spending group super PAC MAGA Inc. $1 million.

(Reporting by Alexandra Ulmer and Aram Roston; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis)

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