WOODSIDE — As former President Donald Trump was set to arrive in this bucolic Bay Area town for a fundraiser hosted by a tech billionaire, supporters gathered outside a pioneer-themed hotel sporting Trump hats, shirts and flags to signal their support for the Republican candidate as he visited a deeply blue state.
Trump was scheduled to arrive in the Bay Area early Friday afternoon for a fundraiser hosted by tech billionaire Tom Siebel, who is related to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s wife Jennifer Siebel Newsom, according to GOP sources. Tickets were reportedly sold for $500,000. The San Francisco Republican Party promoted the event online but provided few details. The event was set to begin at 11:30 a.m., but appeared to be running late as of noon Friday.
The trip comes as part of a swing through California by Trump and his campaign. The former president held a news conference earlier Friday in Rancho Palos Verdes in Southern California.
This marks Trump’s second fundraising visit to the Bay Area in recent months, following a visit to the home of San Francisco billionaire David Sacks in June that raised $12 million and drew a large crowd of supporters and protestors nearby.
Around noon, between 50 and 100 supporters gathered outside the Pioneer Hotel, with many sporting red Trump hats and shirts. Several held flags and banners proclaiming “Trump 2024,” “Take America Back” and “God, Guns & Trump” in shades of red, white and blue. Several had gathered late Friday morning in a Western-styled saloon to prepare for the rally.
One passerby yelled, “Go to jail, Trump! Trump can go to jail!” from their car as they drove past the hotel. Another gave a thumbs-down to the crowd.
The crowd repeatedly chanted “Fight!” throughout the rally.
“He’s done everything the people have asked him to,” said Irma Polanco, 60, a resident of Fresno, adding that Democrats and Republicans should “agree to disagree” and focus on “what’s good for this country.”
“Trump wants what’s good for this country,” she added. Her priorities for this election include the cost of living and the military.
Kristi Rawe-Aldridge, 49 and a resident of Escalon, said that she has been a Trump supporter forever. She fears the safety of her children and grandchildren, she said, and as a widow, has had to work two jobs to support her family.
“It wasn’t supposed to be like that for me,” she said. “I worry about my children’s future, I worry about my grandchildren’s future. I don’t know how they’re going to afford groceries.”
A woman sold Trump merchandise at a table in front of the hotel, ranging from American flag cowboy hats to “Trump 24” underwear.
Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, Trump’s running mate, also visited a fundraiser in July, hosted by crypto billionaire Mike Belshe at the Four Seasons in East Palo Alto.
The Bay Area has proved to be a popular area for fundraising for both political parties, with Vice President Kamala Harris and her running mate Tim Walz hosting a fundraiser in San Francisco last month. Before stepping in as the Democratic candidate, Harris had visited an Oakland fundraiser in June. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden both visited separate fundraisers in May and June to grow the Democratic campaign’s war chest.
The Democratic push in California has proved profitable, with the Harris-Walz campaign raising $136 million in Harris’s home state.
Trump’s campaign has also seen success, raising $41 million in the state, marking California as the fourth-largest contributor to the Republican fund this election cycle, according to Open Secrets. Los Altos alone has donated more than $3 million to the Trump campaign.
Stuart Lee, 63 of San Jose, was eager to see Trump driving by — “even if its just a glimmer through that motorcade,” he said.
“This is supposedly a blue state. I don’t believe it. I’ve never believed it,” Lee said. “I know this thing is going to be won finally. The people are waking up.”
Lee Ann Gilbert, a resident of Woodside who owns the Pioneer Hotel where supporters gathered, is concerned that “people don’t have the funds they need to support their families.” She wants a president who will create jobs, focus on the economy, prioritize affordable housing and avoid war, she said.
“We’re all in on Donald,” she added. “Period.”
