Melania Trump slammed a New York Times report that a high-dollar fundraiser she was attending was canceled after an investigation found the charity hosting it didn’t exist.
The former first lady said the fundraiser, originally planned for April, was rescheduled for December. And, she claimed, it had to be done because attention brought by an earlier Times piece caused a high demand for tickets.
‘The High Tea event is not canceled. It is scheduled for December 4, 2022,’ Melania Trump’s office tweeted on Thursday night.
‘As a result of the New York Times’ inaccurate reporting, we captured the attention of way more people than expected and required a larger venue. Thank you to all of the incredible supporters of foster care children,’ she added.
Melania Trump slams New York Times report that fundraiser she was attending was canceled after charity didn’t register with state of Florida
Melania Trump in January promoted a ‘Tulips & Topiaries’ fundraiser in Naples, Fla. with flowers, tea and ‘bubbles.’
Tickets went as high as $50,000 for a VIP table with the money going to scholarships to children emerging from childcare.
But the New York Times reported the event was canceled because Whip Fundraising, the company behind the fundraiser, didn’t properly register as a charity until Florida officials began investigating the matter.
Florida requires that certain organizations asking for donations register with the state first.
‘They were not registered as a professional solicitor or a fund-raising consultant, and they are working to rectify that,’ Erin Moffet, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees charitable organizations in the state, told the Times.
She said the event planned for April 9 had been canceled and that any money that had been raised through ticket sales would given to GenJustice, a nonprofit group that is registered in Florida as a charity, and that helps foster children.
The state’s investigation into the matter is closed.
The website for the ‘Tulips & Topiaries’ event, however, states in large letters ‘We didn’t cancel.’
It notes the new December date and adds: ‘Big thanks to Eric Lipton and Shane Goldsmacher at the New York Times, thanks to your story – we needed a bigger venue!’
Brad Keltner, the head of Whip Fundraising, told the Times his company hadn’t broken any rules and had originally been advised it didn’t need to register with the state.
He said after being contacted by state investigators he worked to get registered. And he echoed Melania’s claim the event was rescheduled so a bigger venue could be booked.
‘Florida state did not shut us down,’ he said. ‘This was an internal decision made due to overwhelming response that we were not prepared to handle.’
The website for the ‘Tulips & Topiaries’ fundraiser
Melania Trump has been privately fundraising since leaving White House including auctioning off the iconic white hat she wore during the April 2018 state visit by the French president – she took an $80,000 loss on the sale
Melania Trump’s office has consistently refused to answer questions from DailyMail.com and other news outlets about what portion of the money from her events and auctions goes to charity and what portion she keeps.
She and former President Donald Trump have both raised private money since their time in the White House. Donald Trump published a picture book and the couple hosted a holiday party that guests paid to attend.
Melania Trump also has been auctioning items – including NFT artwork and the iconic white hat she wore at the first state visit the Trumps hosted during their White House tenure.
But she took an $80,000 loss on her online hat auction after the sell-off coincided with a crash in the cryptocurrency market. She had auctioned off the items to be paid in the digital currency.
She also took a loss on her first auction, a sale of her first-ever NFT: a digital watercolor painting of her eyes, which came complete with an audio message detailing her ‘vision’.
Entitled ‘Melania’s Vision’, the digital painting – which was signed by Melania and Coulon – was initially valued at around $185 and sold for $150.
