Everyone reading this surely knows that the people who gathered for a VIP Meet-Greet-Photo with Trump in Naples Florida in December, paying anywhere from $10k to $30k, believed that they were donating money that would help Trump’s PAC and make America great again. A lot of them probably thought it was like a charitable contribution of some kind.

Nope. They were just paying Trump to show up and have dinner and meet them, period. Events like these are now Trump’s job, according to a New York Times bombshell.

In early December, Donald J. Trump put on a tuxedo and boarded the private jet of a scrap-metal magnate and crypto-miner for a short flight across Florida, touching down at an airport in Naples. There, a long red carpet marked the pathway into a Christmas-decorated hangar filled with supporters of Mr. Trump who had paid $10,000 to $30,000 for the privilege of attending a party and taking a photo with him.

The event had all the trappings of a typical high-end fund-raiser: a giant American flag, a lectern, chandeliers and an open bar. Frank Stallone’s band provided the music; an anti-Biden “Let’s Go Brandon” banner hung from the rafters.

But the money raised did not go to Mr. Trump’s political operation. Instead, Mr. Trump’s share of the evening’s proceeds went straight into his pocket, according to a person familiar with the arrangement.

Any of us who feel the least bit surprised by this (and some of us do) should feel ashamed. There are rules on PACs and Political Fundraisers, but just because an event looks, smells, feels, like a campaign fundraiser, doesn’t make it so. It turns out, in this country, one can announce that there will be a dinner to meet famous writer Jason Miciak, with tickets starting at $10K and for an extra $30K you can get your picture taken with Nicole Hickman and we can make it look like all money is going to the DNC but as long as we don’t specifically come out and say “All proceeds to the DNC…” we can keep every penny.

If money is to be made off being a Trump, Melania won’t be far behind:

His wife, Melania, has gotten into the act, too, auctioning off online collectibles and scheduling her own big-ticket event in Naples this April, a “tulips and topiaries high tea,” with V.I.P. packages reaching $50,000 and an undisclosed portion going to charity.

We cannot find out what was in those boxes soon enough, this couple would sell the country for an extra $250K. Indeed, the very fact that Trump hadn’t burned the “Above Top Secret” document tells us that he was trying to find a buyer, or that’s our best guess.

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[email protected] with Nicole Hickman