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President Trump to visit US/Mexican border following SoCal fundraising trip

Posted at 4:53 PM, Sep 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-09-18 18:23:02-04

SAN DIEGO – President Trump's two-day fundraising swing through California will conclude in San Diego Wednesday, and sources say his trip will include a visit at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The president's California trip began Tuesday in the Bay Area, where he attended a campaign fundraiser in Palo Alto.

Following the Silicon Valley event, Trump flew down to the Los Angeles area for an evening fundraiser in Beverly Hills.

After attending a fundraiser in Los Angeles Wednesday morning, Trump boarded Air Force One and traveled to San Diego.

The president arrived at MCAS Miramar at around 11:30 a.m. local time, and he then boarded a helicopter that took him to San Diego's Lindbergh Field.

From San Diego's airport, sources said Trump will be shuttled to a private luncheon fundraiser at the US Grant hotel.

Several guests said they were informed that their stay could be affected by a "big event" Wednesday at the hotel.

Also spotted were "No Parking" signs along Broadway dated Sept. 18 from 1 a.m.-3 p.m., likely for the same event.

Tickets for the private event start at $2,800 and reach as high as $100,000. Additionally, it is $35,500 per couple for a photo opportunity with the president, according to sources.

According to source, Trump will head to the border following the luncheon, where he will likely tout his signature campaign promise of building a wall.

Sources said the president will meet with Customs and Border Protection officials and may tour a section of the border wall in Otay Mesa.

Trump's four fundraisers could net his 2020 reelection campaign upwards of $15 million. The event in San Diego is expected to generate $4 million for Trump's campaign. The president was expected to raise $3 million at his Bay Area fundraiser; $5 million at the Beverly Hills event; and $3 million at the Los Angeles fundraiser.

Thad Kousser, who chairs the political science department at UC San Diego, said the visit gives Trump an opportunity to reach a national audience from inside California -- his biggest political nemesis.

"His administration has been at war with the state on the environment, on immigration, on issue after issue, on the border," Kousser said.

In February, Trump circumvented Congress and passed a national emergency declaration to fund the wall. Earlier this month, the Department of Defense announced it would divert $3.6 billion to pay for 11 wall-related projects.

Tony Krvaric, chairman for the Republican Party of San Diego County, said of the president's visit: "We are excited to have President Trump in San Diego on Wednesday for a sold-out fundraiser to keep America great. There is a lot more support for our great president here than angry Democrats will have people believe."

This story was originally published by Jonathan Horn and Jermaine Ong on KGTV in San Diego.