Trump will arrive at Mar-a-Lago as charities flee
PALM BEACH, Fla.
It's November, which means President Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago is reopening after being closed during the brutal heat and humidity of Florida's summer. If last season is a guide, the president will soon visit his Winter White House, staying several days at Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's and then return many more weekends until May.
But he will find a major difference this season. Because of the outcry that followed Trump's remarks in connection with a white nationalist rally, Mar-a-Lago will host many fewer galas: about 20 charities have cancelled or moved their events ...
including the American Cancer Society, Cleveland Clinic, the International Red Cross, the Salvation Army and the breast cancer organization Susan G. Komen. Many cited the diversity of their donors and clients for their decision while acknowledging they might take a financial hit.
Others, including the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Bascom Palmer Eye Institute, canceled earlier under pressure from anti-Trump donors and protesters.
Still, at least two national nonprofits have stepped into the void.
Orphan's Promise, a charity affiliated with the Christian Broadcasting Network that funds programs at orphanages in 67 countries, will be having its first Mar-a-Lago fundraiser in February. The network's founder, televangelist Pat Robertson, is an outspoken supporter of the president.
The organizer of a gala supporting the group The Truth About Israel relocated his event to Mar-a-Lago from a nearby resort, grabbing the Feb. 25 slot vacated by supporters of an Israeli medical charity. Steven M. Alembik said he moved his benefit specifically because the other charities bolted.