Former president Donald Trump was in San Francisco Thursday night for a major fundraiser hosted by tech leaders in the city’s well-known Pacific Heights neighborhood. He left San Francisco later on Thursday night.
But Trump’s visit turned into an all-day event for his supporters as well as counterprotesters of the former president. This comes just one week after he became the first president in U.S. history to ever be convicted.
There were cheers from supporters as Trump’s motorcade arrived Thursday evening for a fundraiser at the home of venture capitalist David Sacks, with guests paying anywhere from $50,000 to $300,000 for tickets.
Trump’s supporters were waiting for hours to a glimpse of the former president. Many of them did not have tickets to the event. But they were hoping to show their support from afar.
“It’s all over the state, it’s not just San Francisco and it's not just LA, it's the state of California,” said Trump supporter Jen Kelly.
Trump’s arrival leading to eventful day of rallies and protests across the city with many of his supporters driving into the city Thursday afternoon for a rally near Fort Mason. They were met with counter-protestors, who see Trump in a much different light.
The same group headed to Pacific Heights, where tensions picked up between Trump supporters and protesters, one of whom lived in the neighborhood.
The resident told NBC Bay Area that he was not a fan of the former president and questioned his supporters, after Trump was convicted of 34 felonies last week.
“He’s a criminal! And they’re sucking up to the biggest criminal on earth,” he said.
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Harmeet Dhillon, an attorney & Republican Party official posted photos of the event on social media site “X.” In the post, she said that the Trump campaign raised $12 million during Thursday’s fundraiser. Trump will raise more money at fundraisers in Southern California on Friday.
