Written by by ALEX ISENSTADT at politico.com
Former President Donald Trump’s campaign is inviting prominent outside groups to a private meeting next week in Palm Beach, Florida, to talk about working together and planning for the election.
On Tuesday, the Trump campaign sent a letter to pro-Trump, external organizations asking them to attend an “entirely off-the-record, private,” and “invite-only” meeting with senior campaign officials, according to a copy of the letter obtained by POLITICO. The sit-down, which the letter describes as a “meeting of the political minds,” is aimed at discussing “collaborat[ion]” and “priorities and plans” for the general election.
“Please know that your attendance is considered critical, and your effort to be there would be greatly appreciated,” reads the letter, which was written by James Blair, the Trump campaign’s political director.
By holding the meeting, the Trump operation and the third-party entities could conceivably get on the same page about their plans. Two people familiar with the planning for the event said Heritage Action and Turning Point Action were among the pro-Trump groups invited.
A Trump campaign representative declined to comment on the letter.
The decision to hold the meeting, which is set for the afternoon of May 3, illustrates how the campaign plans to utilize the support of outside organizations. With President Joe Biden’s campaign having a four-year head start in field deployment and voter contact efforts, the Trump campaign is racing to play catch-up.
Trump is also at a substantial cash disadvantage: According to the most recent campaign finance reports, he has $93 million on hand, less than half as much as Biden.