Donald Trump is returning to Georgia for April 10 fundraiser

Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Forum River Center in Rome on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Credit: Arvin Temkar/AJC

Republican presidential candidate and former president Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally at Forum River Center in Rome on Saturday, March 9, 2024. (Arvin Temkar / arvin.temkar@ajc.com)

Former President Donald Trump is making his second visit to Georgia this year with an April 10 fundraiser hosted by some of his top allies.

The former president’s Atlanta luncheon event comes weeks after his March 9 rally in Rome, which took place at the same time as President Joe Biden held an event in Atlanta. It’s not yet clear whether he’ll also hold a rally while in Atlanta. The campaign had no immediate comment.

The two rivals and their campaigns see Georgia as one of the few competitive states on the roadmap to November after its surprise flip in 2020. Biden was the first Democrat to win the state since 1992, and another victory in Georgia would complicate Trump’s comeback bid.

The list of hosts for the Trump event, which is expected to grow, include former U.S. Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, both Trump allies who lost 2021 runoffs to Democrats that flipped control of the U.S. Senate.

Perdue waged a Trump-backed campaign for governor in 2022 and was demolished by Gov. Brian Kemp. He could be a potential Cabinet appointee if Trump wins another term. Loeffler is expected to run for governor or U.S. Senate in 2026.

Others include Bernie Marcus, the Home Depot co-founder and GOP mega-donor; Don Leebern III, a Republican donor and president of a liquor distributor; and Tommy Bagwell, the poultry industry billionaire.

Also on the list of co-hosts is Bill White, who led the failed Buckhead Cityhood movement and recently decamped for Florida.

The details are not yet clear, but the invite indicates a high-dollar event. To serve as a host costs $250,000 per couple. Attendees pay $6,600 to get in the door.

Trump has ventured sparingly to Georgia since he was booked in the Fulton County Jail last year on charges of subverting his 2020 election defeat. But his campaign is planning more visits in the runup to the November election, seeing the state as a “must-win” for his comeback bid.