Comment SOUTHAVEN, Miss. — On a Saturday morning at an arena outside Memphis, Terri Owens joined the crowd lining up to see former President Donald Trump. They lined up according to how much they had paid. At the edge of a white entrance tent, near a bus wrapped with a photo of Trump’s head on a muscular, shirtless body, were attendees who paid $55 for a pair of tickets as “citizens,” a general admission option. At the front, closer to the doors guarded by Secret Service agents, was a “presidential” tier that poured in at $3,995 each. Owens, a 53-year-old nurse, bought a pair of VIP tickets for $800. She wasn’t clear about where the money was going — nor did she care. “I really wanted to contribute to him continuing to do what he’s doing, traveling,” Owens said. “I know he probably doesn’t need financial help in any way, but just to do my part in supporting him because I believe in what he’s doing.” In fact, The fees do not go to Trump’s political action committee, his $100 million war chest. This event was not a free-to-attend Trump rally. Instead, it was a profit show, more like a rock concert. The proceeds benefit Trump personally as part of a multimillion-dollar deal to speak at the events, according to two people familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. The program, the “American Freedom Tour,” is the work of a longtime advocate of motivational speakers with a track record of bankruptcies and business disputes across the country. A Trump adviser said there was very little scrutiny of organizers. A spokesman for the tour, Republican media consultant Larry Ward, said the 2020 election inspired the new business venture. “The tour was inspired by a nation of disillusioned voters and love for President Donald J. Trump,” he said. Ward declined to discuss Trump’s financial deal. Trump’s spokesman, Taylor Budowitz, also declined to discuss his fees from the events. He said the former president enjoys supplementing his own rallies with speeches at events organized by other groups, including the American Freedom Tour, the National Rifle Association, Turning Point USA and the Faith and Freedom Coalition. “There is tremendous demand for President Trump in every corner of the country and he is driven by his love for America to continue leading the MAGA movement through 2022 and beyond by sharing his America First vision in front of huge crowds,” said Budowich. Former presidents, including Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama, have often taken paid speaking gigs after leaving office and have been criticized for cashing in on their services. But those fees were generally paid by businesses, not individual fans who may not understand where the money is going. Clinton and Michelle Obama have charged for book talks, with no ambiguity about the use of the proceeds. “Paid presidential speeches are nothing new. It’s a nice job if you can get it,” said Mark K. Updegrove, president of the LBJ Foundation and author of “Second Acts: Presidential Lives And Legacies After The White House.” “The difference here is that Trump is doing this under the guise of a political rally. There might be a little cheating there.” It’s also common for politicians to offer access to big spenders, although the money usually goes to a campaign — not just a candidate’s pockets. Trump’s win is particularly brazen given that he is the only modern ex-president considering running for president again. “You have a person who is essentially running for president collecting financial IOUs,” said Jeffrey A. Engel, director of the Center for Presidential History at Southern Methodist University. “Donald Trump has never cared if his financial dealings look improper. Trump is playing by different rules.” Indeed, many gathered outside Memphis drew few distinctions from Trump’s prolific campaign fundraising. Stephen Maybank, 60, bought ‘citizen’ tickets with his wife after hearing about the event through texts and emails similar to campaign fundraising appeals. “This is just another form of donation for us,” he said. Inside the arena, the former president’s appearance had all the hallmarks of a Trump rally: He hugged an American flag, aired complaints about the 2020 election and the House committee investigating the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on Capitol Hill mocked transgender athletes. and hinted at a third run for the presidency. The speaker series has drawn more than two dozen Republican luminaries, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, talk radio host Dan Bongino and right-wing influencer Candace Owens. A speaker on the program said they negotiated a deal through a speaker’s bureau and agreed to do the talk because it was so lucrative. Those who pay more have access to behind-the-scenes events such as photos and private Q&As. Top dollar bundles a “patriotic” experience with a private after-party and access to Trump — though the site doesn’t say how much that costs. The group declined to specify the rate, only that it was more than $4,000. Tour organizer Brian J. Forte has produced events featuring motivational speaking stars such as Tony Robbins and entrepreneur Gary Vaynerchuk. Forte’s seminars promise to teach strategies for business success, including personal reinvention. His own career has gone through a winding chain of failures. Forte created an events business called Get Motivated with his sister and her husband, earning $200,000 a year plus monthly bonuses, according to court records. But the couple split in 2011, leading to a messy property dispute, including lawsuits in federal court in Florida and Virginia. The parties eventually settled, but Forte’s business disputes did not end there. In 2014, a federal judge in Texas ordered a company he was working with to stop using the “Success” trademark owned by another company. Forte was also involved in ventures separately accused of suffocating a production company hired to put on events in Seattle and Portland and using the Get Motivated brand and customer database without making required payments. Both of these cases were dismissed. Ward said the seller was paid and the trademark conflict was resolved. Forte lived large, driving a Maserati and flying privately, according to court records and social media posts. But the expenses caught up with him — in a 2018 bankruptcy filing, he reported making $11,500 a month but not enough to cover his expenses, plus more than $2 million in debt. The bankruptcy case was dismissed after Forte failed to file required reports and fees. By 2020, Forte was 48 years old and unemployed, with no income to cover his court-ordered child support, according to an affidavit. “I’m trying to find sponsors for new events,” Forte wrote. His luck changed after the elections. Forte was approached by Chris Widener, a business-to-politics motivational speaker with video blog posts echoing Trump’s false claims of mass fraud. In an interview with far-right broadcaster OAN, Widener said he wanted to create an event that would give comfort to Trump’s downtrodden supporters. “They’re deplorable, they’re racist, they’re sexist, they’re xenophobic, they’re transphobic — they’ve been beaten for five years,” he said. “Wouldn’t it be amazing if we held some rallies around the country and got conservatives together so people could look around and say, ‘I’m not alone.’ The tour debuted in October in Jacksonville, Florida. The stop near Memphis on June 18 was the seventh so far, with another planned in Milwaukee in August. Trump’s speeches at events are often shorter than his political rallies. In addition to Trump, his son, Donald Trump Jr., and other right-wing stars such as pardoned author Dinesh D’Souza and Pinal County, Ariz., Sheriff Mark Lamb, the tour featured speakers offering investment advice and promoting personal finance COURSE CYCLE. The Fort Lauderdale event, for example, featured Bob Kittell, a professional speaker who teaches memory improvement techniques. He declined to comment. Melanie Cimino D’Angelo, a retired real estate agent who attended the event, said she and her husband paid about $100 for the next financial seminar but could not afford the six-month financial coaching course, which she recalled costing thousands of dollars. “It was crazy, I don’t think they had too many people,” he said. “If we could afford to venture further, they gave us a lot of good information.” Ward, the tour spokesman, said the programs “come with a 100 percent money-back guarantee.” At the tour stop near Memphis, Widener’s vision connected with 18-year-old Maddie Cummings, a barista starting community college in the fall. Cummings said she hasn’t been able to openly express her views at work without leading to conflict and wanted to attend the event because “you spend your day with people who have the same thoughts as you.” Her grandfather, Robert Edwards, of Hernando, Miss., bought tickets after seeing an ad on the freeway, for $50-$200 each. The event was staffed by unpaid volunteers who attended the talks for free. Ronni Schwartz, 57, of Marianna, Ark., who chairs her county Republican Women’s club, said Trump inspired her to run for justice of the peace. Schwartz said she wanted to be able to tell her grandchildren, “I did everything possible to try to save us,” she said. “I’m praying that we can be saved and we can do this… That’s what Trump taught me.” Schwartz came with Lindsey Palmer, who serves as an election commissioner in Lee County, Ark. Palmer declined to say whether she believed the 2020 election was stolen. “I think something was going on,” he said.
