Ultra-rich 'government in waiting' donors gather with core Trump aides at glitzy retreat

On the heels of the Republican Party's election success, lead figures from Donald Trump's team has been meeting with a "stealthy" group of ultra-rich donors that suddenly has major influence, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

The newspaper followed insiders, including incoming White House Chief of Staff Susie Wiles, from the campaign trail to a Las Vegas gathering of the Rockbridge Network, a group co-founded by J.D. Vance five years ago. In the past year, the group has been funding its own "government-in-waiting" to prepare for Trump's win and eventual takeover, the Times reported.

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"As caravans of black SUVs shuttled in the billionaires from their private jets last week, members of the Rockbridge roster could be spotted around the [Four Seasons] hotel: Rebekah Mercer, the scion of one of the most prolific Republican donor families, greeted well-wishers in the lobby," said the report.

"Working the happy-hour scene at the hotel bar were two close friends of Elon Musk’s — Ken Howery and Luke Nosek, whose time with Mr. Musk at PayPal made them megawealthy themselves."

Trump campaign managers Wiles and Chris LaCivita, pollster Tony Fabrizio and fundraiser Meredith O'Rourke were all on hand to hear speeches from tech billionaires and venture capitalists.

For some, the agenda is tech deregulation while others view it through the lens of "business, seeing Rockbridge as a conservative-tinged version of the elite Sun Valley conference."

According to literature given to donors, the group “strives to replace the current Republican ecosystem of think tanks, media organizations and activist groups that have contributed to the party’s decline."

Each "member" is required to give anywhere from $100,000 to $1 million to be a "limited partner" or "principal partner," respectively. The funds go into eight different groups: four 501(c)(4) groups the Times referred to as "dark-money," two super PACs, advised non-profits and the overarching umbrella super PAC called "Turnout for America," the Times reported.

It's a "new breed" of GOP donors taking over as older conservative stalwarts die off, the report stated.

“Generally everyone at Rockbridge was very happy that technologists and politicians are working together directly again and not openly hostile toward each other,” Soylent co-founder John Coogan told the Times. “It’s no longer a question of whether technology will drive the future, but how we guide its impact. So it makes sense that tech billionaires and the political elite are partying together.”

Before Trump's win, there was enough to give the big donors pause, but Oren Cass, an influential conservative economist, told the Times that the MAGA loyalists have proved it can be successful.

Read the full report.