Charities thinking twice about galas at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago
WASHINGTON — A staple of Palm Beach’s high-end philanthropy circuit, the Mar-a-Lago Club boasts rich history, an 800-seat ballroom and ocean views. But some major charities and fundraisers are now concerned with a different feature: the property’s owner, Donald Trump.
Following the leak of Trump boasting about grabbing women by their genitals and allegations that he inappropriately touched women — in two instances at Mar-a-Lago — the Susan G. Komen Foundation is leaning toward finding a new location for its Perfect Pink Party on Jan. 14, a million-dollar breast cancer fundraiser it booked a year ago.
The charity has no position on Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, but wants to keep its event separate from “controversies unrelated to our mission,” said Andrea Rader, a spokeswoman for the organization. The group won’t make a final decision about whether to abandon its deposit until after October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
But, Rader said, “those are things that have to be discussed.”