A fundraiser seeking to raise $3 million to buy President Donald Trump’s childhood home has received thousands of dollars in donations, but it’s still far from that lofty goal.
To be precise, the GoFundMe campaign, which launched Nov. 23, has raised just $6,528 — so it still has approximately $2.994 million to go.
“What we’re selling here isn’t real estate. We’re selling something with intangible value,” said Misha Haghani, principal of Paramount Realty USA, which organized the GoFundMe.
The property, located at 85-15 Wareham Place in Jamaica Estates, has brought in a range of donations from $5 to $500. If the fundraiser hits its $3 million goal, the property will be gifted to Trump, who could then decide the future of the home.
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Paramount considered other marketing opportunities for the property, including launching dueling campaigns for Trump supporters and opponents, but ultimately decided to stick with one fundraiser.
In the past few years, the modest Queens home has been flipped several times. First, it sold for $1.4 million in 2016, when Trump was still running for president. (“I want to buy it,” Trump said at the time in an interview on “The Tonight Show.”)
It was then auctioned off for $2.14 million three days before Trump’s inauguration. The buyer has since tried to sell it three times through auction, before trying this unusual tactic in an attempt to net a profit.
If the home doesn’t raise enough funds, the GoFundMe donations will be given to a charity of Trump’s choosing. If Trump does not respond, Paramount Realty USA will determine where to donate the money.
The donation page lists a variety of uses for the home, including as a presidential library, museum or historic site. However, Haghani said that he’d like to see it donated and ultimately occupied as a residence again.
“Ultimately, where I would love to see the house go is to some charity, [which] gets it in the hands of a family that needs a home,” Haghani said. “Because that’s what it is — it’s a house in a residential neighborhood.”