Trump's Charlottesville remarks are costing Mar-a-Lago big business
Charities are hitting Donald Trump where it hurts: his wallet.
After Trump's widely condemned remarks on the neo-Nazi and white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, 18 charities have canceled galas or luncheons at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.
Among those charities are such well-known names as the American Red Cross, the American Cancer Society, and Susan G. Komen, according to The Washington Post. The first charity to cancel was the Cleveland Clinic Florida.
Washington Post reporter David Fahrenthold has chronicled the cancellations on Twitter.
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According to Fahrenthold, an event at the resort can cost charities up to $275,000 for a single night — meaning the cost of these cancelations could be pretty significant for the Trump Organization. Luncheons can cost up to $85,000. This means Mar-a-Lago could have lost around $1 million — a potentially huge hit for a resort that annually earns profits between $3 million and $8.6 million.
Mar-a-Lago could have lost around $1 million
Additionally, The Palm Beach Daily News reported that six other organizations canceled events at Mar-a-Lago earlier this year, including the American Humane Association Hero Dogs luncheon and Dana Farber Cancer Institute gala.
One group, the Unicorn Children's Foundation, is canceling a Mar-a-Lago event altogether, instead of moving it to another location, according to The Washington Post.
Several groups have announced a move to The Breakers, another resort in Palm Beach, while others are reportedly looking for venues in the area.
Perhaps the most interesting charity to move its event from Mar-a-Lago is the Big Dog Ranch Rescue. That's because the president's daughter-in-law, Lara Trump, is a chairwoman for the event, according to The Palm Beach Daily News.
The organization announced in a statement that it would take its event to a new facility in Loxahatchee Groves in Palm Beach, though the group didn't mention the president as its reason for doing so.
The Bethesda Hospital Foundation, the most recent group to cancel, also didn't mention Trump when announcing it was moving its event to Boca Raton.
Palm Beach Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Laurel Baker fell under fire recently for telling charities to "have a conscience" as they considered holding events at Trump's resort. The group's president has since issued an apology for Baker's remarks, according to The Palm Beach Post, but it's clear some organizations have taken her advice.
Topics Donald Trump Politics
