Former First Lady Melania Trump reportedly received a payment of $237,000 for making a rare appearance at a political fundraiser in April 2023.
The payment, which was revealed in former President Donald Trump’s most recent financial disclosure form, covered her participation in a Log Cabin Republicans event, a group that advocates for LGBT conservatives.
While Melania Trump also delivered a speech at another Log Cabin Republicans fundraiser in July, it remains unclear if she was compensated for that event as well, with reports suggesting a “similar” payment was requested for her second appearance.
Trump’s financial disclosure form also did not reveal specific details on who made the payment.
Melania Trump’s political event fees raises eyebrows
The president of the Log Cabin Republicans, Charles Moran, confirmed that his organization did not provide the payment for her appearance, further adding mystery to who covered the former First Lady’s hefty fee.
This isn’t the first time Barron Trump’s mother has received large sums of money for her presence at political events. In 2022, she was paid $250,000 for another Log Cabin Republicans event.
She has also reportedly received two other payments of $250,000 each for speaking engagements elsewhere. In 2021, she earned $155,000 for appearing at a ‘Make America Great Again, Again’ Super PAC event
It is uncommon for spouses of politicians to receive payments for attending or speaking at political events, Virginia Canter, chief ethics counsel at Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), told CNN, “It seems pretty self-serving. From my own general observation, I’m not used to seeing that.”
“You could indicate that payment was for a speaking engagement for the Log Cabin Republicans, but you also need to report who the source of the payment was, otherwise you can’t assess for the conflicts of interest, and it wouldn’t be in compliance with the rules.”
“It should have properly been reported so that the source of the income is listed for the honorarium,” Canter explained.
