Longtime donors of the Democratic Party are giving to Trump's inaugural, according to a former Dem fundraiser who reports an "overwhelmingly positive" response.

President-elect Donald Trump appointed longtime Democrat fundraiser and Kamala Harris critic Lindy Li to his inaugural fundraising committee, despite her past criticism of him. Li says the move has been met with support from donors, including some who have previously contributed to the Democratic Party.

Li's appointment to the Trump fundraising committee was exclusively revealed to Planet Chronicle Digital. This news comes after Li announced her departure from the Democratic Party last month, stating that the party's broader culture of finger-pointing, vitriol, and blame following the 2024 elections was a major factor in her decision.

Despite raising millions for Harris's campaign and donating several Philadelphia-area buildings, Li faced criticism and calls to exit the party after criticizing certain spending decisions made by the campaign. She expressed concerns about party leadership's failure to allow dissent and criticism, as well as their inability to learn from their losses in the House, Senate, and presidential elections.

Li's departure from the DNC's national fundraising committee has been eye-opening. In an interview with Planet Chronicle, she revealed that she was approved as a member of Trump's inaugural fundraising committee just three days before many of the events reached capacity, forcing the committee to block access in hopes of securing a bigger venue.

Some donors responded by doubling their offer in hopes of gaining access when she informed them that they were at capacity.

"Li stated that the response from donors was unprecedented, with Biden and Harris never having faced such an issue before."

The inaugural committee has turned away donors offering up to $1 million due to space constraints, as reported by the New York Times. Now, they are working to secure a larger venue for some events to accommodate the growing demand.

The inaugural committee of Trump has collected a record-breaking $170 million in donations, which were utilized for the inauguration weekend and also for future endeavors, including the construction of a presidential library.

Gaining access to an exclusive VIP weekend agenda before the Inauguration Day ceremony is a reward for donors, providing opportunities to network with Cabinet nominees and make inroads in the incoming administration.

Prior to Trump's second term, many are spending large sums of money to secure their positions.

The CEOs of Amazon, Meta, and OpenAI have all pledged to donate at least $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund within the past month.

Li, a well-known fundraiser with a background in the Democratic sphere, found it simpler than anticipated to shift his focus to raising funds for Trump's inauguration.

Li was a member of the DNC's national fundraising committee, responsible for raising "millions of dollars" for Democrat candidates.

The enthusiasm and unprecedented donations to the inaugural committee are remarkable.

Li stated in an interview that the funding raised was unlike anything he had ever seen, surpassing the amount raised by Biden in 2021 and exceeding Trump's first inaugural committee's fundraising efforts, which totaled approximately $117 million.

According to estimates shared with Planet Chronicle Digital, the committee anticipates donations to increase significantly, surpassing $200 million.

Li stated on Planet Chronicle that she is facing the same financial contributors despite leaving the Democratic Party only a month ago and building out a base of Republican donors.

"These are Democratic donors," she said.

Li stated that while they are not the most liberal Democrat donors she has worked with, they are still contributing.

"The eagerness and willingness of the individuals to attend the table remain unchanged."

She stated that many people believe Trump has been beneficial for the business community and hope to expand on this in future discussions with the administration.

Despite being wait-listed or turned down from attending the VIP events during the inaugural weekend due to space constraints, some donors have expressed interest in collaborating with the administration in the future.

Yesterday, a donor expressed their desire to be informed of future opportunities to show support, even if they couldn't attend the event this time.

Li stated that the response from donors has been "overwhelmingly positive," with enthusiasm "just through the stratosphere."