Developer Geoff Palmer, longtime Trump backer, hosts presidential fundraiser in Beverly Hills

Palmer, a prolific DTLA apartment builder, most recently donated $355K to Trump’s reelection campaign

From left: President Trump and Geoff Palmer
From left: President Trump and Geoff Palmer

UPDATED, Sept. 17, 2019, 9:34 a.m.: Real estate and presidential politics will once again converge in Beverly Hills tonight.

Prolific Los Angeles apartment developer Geoff Palmer is set to host a fundraiser for President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign at his home.

The dinner, which is expected to raise $5 million for the campaign, is one of a series of fundraising events the president will attend during his two-day stop in California. The events include a lunch in the Bay Area and breakfast in L.A., and will benefit Trump Victory. Combined, they are estimated to bring in $15 million for the campaign, according to reports.

The Hollywood Reporter first detailed the fundraising event.

Palmer owns a Spanish Colonial-style home on North Arden Drive in Beverly Hills. Two years ago, he paid $10.3 million for the Paul Williams-designed home. It encompasses 6,889 square feet, has a wraparound terrace covered in roses, and a backyard that includes a pool, fireplace, cabana and dining area with a barbecue and pizza oven.

Sources also say Palmer owns a much larger estate behind the famed Beverly Hills Hotel.

Sign Up for the undefined Newsletter

Palmer has been one of Trump’s biggest backers, having donated millions of dollars to pro-Trump political action committees in the lead-up to the 2016 presidential campaign and throughout his presidency. In April, he donated $355,000 to Trump Victory, the joint entity that funds the president’s reelection campaign and the Republican National Committee, according to CNBC. He also gave $2 million to America First Action, a Trump-friendly super PAC.

Palmer’s firm, G.H. Palmer Associates, owns 11,633 residential units in Southern California. Earlier this year, the billionaire developer was accused of illegally withholding thousands of security deposits from tenants in a class-action lawsuit. More than two dozen tenants had previously sued Palmer for alleged unwarranted charges.

In 2016, Palmer donated $2 million to Super PAC Rebuilding America Now, which was co-founded by fellow real estate mogul and Trump supporter Tom Barrack of Colony Capital.

During the 2018 election cycle, Palmer is believed to have donated more than $4 million to the Republican Party.

This is not the first time that Trump has tapped a real estate connection for a fundraising event in L.A. Last year, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers owner Ed Glazer hosted an event for Trump’s reelection campaign at his 19,300-square-foot estate at Beverly Park. Glazer is president of the family-run commercial real estate firm First Allied Corp.

During that visit, Trump stayed at the InterContinental Hotel in the 73-story Wilshire Grand Center in Downtown. He is expected to return to the hotel during this visit, a source said.