A conservative youth organization has invited Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump to visit the “Western White House” previously belonging to former President Ronald Reagan.
Young America’s Foundation told the Washington Examiner Friday that Trump has an “open invitation” to visit Reagan’s 688-acre Rancho del Cielo, or “Ranch in the Sky,” where the 40th president spent much of his time while in office.
YAF purchased the mountaintop ranch in Santa Barbara, Calif., from Reagan in 1998 and currently uses it as the backdrop for year-round conservative student conferences. A number of conservative leaders, including Trump’s Republican rivals Ted Cruz and Scott Walker, have previously toured the ranch.
The nonprofit youth group extended its invitation to Trump hours after conservative novelist Brad Thor challenged the GOP front-runner to a debate and pledged to contribute $100,000 to YAF if he accepted.
In a series of tweets Friday, Thor accused the New York billionaire of being “anything but a true conservative” and suggested the two participate in a “one-on-one, open and public debate,” presumably about conservative principles.
Thor also said individuals supporting Trump’s White House bid “cannot call [themselves] conservative” and that he’d be willing to formally declare his candidacy to “get on stage to shred Trump.”
If @realDonaldTrump will meet me one-on-one to debate, I’ll donate $100,000 to @yaf in support of Ronald Reagan’s conservative legacy.
— Brad Thor (@BradThor) August 28, 2015
“We’re delighted [Thor] selected us as the recipient of his intriguing offer to Mr. Trump,” YAF spokeswoman Emily Jashinsky wrote in a statement to the Examiner.
“We have worked with both Brad Thor and Donald Trump in the past and they each have an open invitation to join us at the Reagan Ranch to walk in the 40th president’s footsteps and absorb the critical lessons he left for today’s conservative leaders,” she added.
While Thor has visited the Reagan Ranch before, Trump has been invited but has yet to visit. His campaign did not respond to the Examiner‘s request for comment.
