Meredith O’Rourke has helped raise more than $800 million for Trump-linked political and legacy projects since his 2025 return to the White House, adding to scrutiny of his unusually direct fundraising role.
President Trump is taking an unusually hands-on role in fundraising for political and legacy projects, personally monitoring donor outreach and pushing for larger contributions from companies and wealthy backers. Meredith O’Rourke, a Republican operative who has worked with Trump since the 2016 presidential cycle, is said to brief him almost nightly at the White House on who has contributed, who has not, and how much each donor is being asked to give, with requests ranging from $5 million to $50 million. O’Rourke has helped Trump raise more than $800 million from companies and other donors since his return to the White House in 2025, an unprecedented total. She often calls executives and lobbyists seeking multimillion-dollar contributions for the president’s projects and political operation, and has told prospective donors that securing the money is important to Trump. In some conversations, she has referred to him as “the boss,” saying “the boss wants this money.” Trump has referred to her as the “princess of darkness” because she is such a “killer” with donors, according to people who heard the remarks. Several large companies have already contributed, according to people familiar with the donations. SoftBank gave $50 million toward Trump’s presidential library. Apple contributed around $25 million to his White House ballroom project, while Microsoft gave around $10 million and Amazon around $5 million. Meta Platforms recently gave $10 million to a Trump-aligned political committee, in addition to a multimillion donation to the ballroom and a prior $22 million payment to the planned presidential library. The scale and presidential involvement stand out because, as described in the report, no sitting American president has ever raised these amounts for personal priority projects. The fundraising drive is unfolding as companies pay closer attention to the White House, with Trump increasingly involved in regulatory decisions that were once handled by independent agencies. The report also says Trump has at times offered donors special access, underscoring how fundraising and influence are intersecting more directly in Washington.