Trump to hold fundraiser, roundtable discussion on Thursday in Dallas
DALLAS - President Donald Trump will visit Dallas on Thursday for a high-dollar fundraiser and participate in a roundtable discussion with local leaders.
Trump’s private fundraiser had been previously known, but the roundtable was announced for the first time on Wednesday. The White House said the discussion will be about “economic, health, and justice disparities in American communities.”
The fundraiser will be at a home in Dallas and the roundtable will take place at the Gateway Church in North Dallas. An estimated $10 million will be raised for Trump's re-election efforts.
Air Force One is expected to arrive at Dallas Love Field about 2:30 p.m. Thursday.
Protesters are planning to be near the church and the North Dallas home where the fundraiser will take place.
Trump has kept a relatively low profile since a wave of protests began two weeks ago nationwide in the wake of the death of George Floyd by a Minneapolis police officer who kneeled on Floyd’s neck. The one notable exception was a now-infamous photo op last week that involved numerous agencies violently clearing out protesters so Trump could walk to a church near the White House and hold up a Bible.
A White House spokesman said Trump “will announce his Administration’s plan for holistic revitalization and recovery” during the Dallas roundtable.
Local religious leaders and law enforcement officials will be a part of the roundtable, which could include as many as two-dozen participants. Small business owners and administration officials will also be involved.
The Dallas Morning News reported that several of Dallas' notable black leaders - police chief, sheriff, distict attorney - were not invited to participate in the roundtable. Gov. Greg Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton are reportedly going to be in attendance.
Trump’s visit to Dallas also comes as a recent poll shows reliably red Texas could be in play in November. A Quinnipiac poll found Trump was up just one point on Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.
"The country, and Texas, are facing multiple crises — yet President Trump continues to demonstrate that he’s not the right leader to address any of them," Biden said in a statement about Trump's visit. “President Trump is more interested in photo-ops than offering a healing voice as our nation mourns."