President Donald Trump hosted a high-profile “candlelight dinner” at his Mar-a-Lago club last Saturday where guests reportedly paid $1 million per seat. Tech mogul Elon Musk attended the exclusive event, as documented in multiple photographs and videos reviewed by WIRED.
Musk, dressed in his characteristic black sport coat and T-shirt, was seen socializing with other attendees. He appeared to be accompanied by Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive and mother of four of Musk’s children, according to Instagram Reels posted by guests. Musk sat next to Trump during the dinner.
The invitation, obtained by WIRED, featured a “MAGA INC.” header and stated: “You are invited to a candlelight dinner featuring special guest speaker President Donald J. Trump.” It specified the $1 million per person cost while noting that “Donald J. Trump is appearing at this event only as a special guest speaker and is not asking for funds or donations.”
Unlike a similar March 1 event, this dinner did not appear on the president’s official schedule. MAGA Inc., the super PAC that supported Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign, organized the gathering.
WIRED has previously reported that business leaders could secure private meetings with Trump at Mar-a-Lago for $5 million. These meetings have reportedly become highly sought-after in business circles.
The White House did not immediately respond to inquiries about the event or its absence from the president’s schedule.
Policy experts have expressed concerns about these fundraising dinners. “I can’t recall a sitting president in the first weeks of his administration asking for millions of dollars in fundraising,” Don Moynihan, a public policy professor at the University of Michigan, told WIRED. “The concern is less about fundraising and more about access and influence.”
The dinner coincided with the Palm Event, an annual motorsports celebration in Palm Beach. Luxury vehicles including Rolls Royce, Bugatti, and Lamborghini were displayed on the Mar-a-Lago grounds during the event.
The gathering occurred amid a significant immigration enforcement controversy, as the administration reportedly proceeded with deportation flights of alleged Venezuelan gang members despite a federal judge’s order to halt the operation.
