Assuming that any investment is targeted at some measure of return, I don’t believe that spending $250,000 on meeting President Trump is good value.
Why not spend that money on a new car, or a noble charitable cause?
This is an operative concern in that, according to Bloomberg, $250,000 is what a number of couples paid to attend a “private roundtable” with the president at Le Cirque restaurant in New York City, Tuesday evening. That fundraiser, for the Republican National Committee, is just one of many money gathering events Trump has attended since entering office. It’s clear the president is determined to win a larger Senate majority come the 2018 midterm elections.
But while I completely understand why Trump is hosting these fundraisers, I don’t know why so many are spending so much on meeting a politician. After all, consider what $250,000 could otherwise be spent on.
What might a charity investment of $250,000 get you?
Well, it could cover an Ivy-league college education for the child of a fallen service member, or provide life-saving medical care to dozens of starving Venezuelans. Alternatively, it could cover a full array of drones with which to study Whale mucus, and thus assess toxicology levels in the Ocean.
In short, it could pay for a lot of good deeds.
Still, for those more interested in private interests, $250,000 could fund a startup company, or an endowment for a new charter school, or 160 shares in Google, or a 488GTB Ferrari.
Again, good fun.
But what $250,000 isn’t going to earn you is Trump’s friendship. The president is worth, we assume, billions of dollars, and lives in a world of opulence. He seems unfazed by all but the most extravagant of expenditures. So yes, if you give a lot of money to the RNC, Trump will be grateful and will chitchat with you. But that’s probably it. Thirty minutes after you shake hands, it will all be over. And your money will be gone: in the hands of the RNC to spend as they see fit, and Trump probably won’t remember your name.
Of course, for some donors, the real benefit isn’t meeting Trump, it’s the fact that they’re helping the RNC to elect Republicans next year. And for those conservatives, I see the value of spending money on Trump events.
I just don’t see the value in paying $250,000 to become the temporary fake-friend of a politician.
