President-elect Donald J. Trump’s inaugural committee is no longer selling tickets for major donors to attend his swearing-in and accompanying private events in Washington, according to five people briefed on the conversations.
The committee has raised over $170 million, according to the people, who insisted on anonymity because they were not authorized to share internal financial information. The haul is so big that some seven-figure donors have been placed on wait lists or have been told they probably will not receive V.I.P. tickets at all because the events are at capacity.
Mr. Trump often talks privately about who has supported him, and the frenzy to donate to his inauguration — even if it comes without the usual exclusive access — underscores the degree to which deep-pocketed donors and corporations are seeking to curry favor with him. Far more than in early 2017 at the start of his first term, corporate America has largely embraced Mr. Trump during his transition, partly out of a desire to get on his good side.
Prospective donors began to be told early this week that no more seats were available for certain events around Washington, according to the people briefed on the conversations. The personalized donation link that fund-raisers had circulated to their networks of major contributors no longer worked on Tuesday and Wednesday. The packages offered to corporate and individual donors had originally been marketed as available through Friday, but they ended early given the extraordinary demand.
“Space is limited,” read the marketing materials for the donor packages.
Individual donors and others can still attend the swearing-in ceremony by obtaining free tickets made available to the public through members of Congress.
The sums raised by Mr. Trump had already set a record for inaugural fund-raising. Mr. Trump’s 2017 inauguration committee raised $107 million, and the current one is on pace to approach $200 million, according to one person briefed on the fund-raising.
The leftover money is likely to be transferred to a committee for the eventual Trump presidential library. Mr. Trump’s allies have now raised more than $250 million since Election Day for his political projects, including the inaugural committee and some allied outside groups. There are no limits on donations to inaugural committees, though foreign nationals are prohibited from giving. The contributions are eventually disclosed.
On account of the shortage of seating at V.I.P. events, some donors have taken the unusual step of offering donations as high as $1 million without receiving anything in return. Seats at the inaugural address, tickets to the ritzy balls or access to other events are typically a major part of why major donors cut checks. Inaugural events are a key time for the lobbying industry, and they draw donations from corporations and wealthy donors eager to gain influence or make amends with a new administration.
Fund-raisers have not always told prospective donors that they can still give money even though the events are full, and so some last-minute donors have felt shut out of contributing.
“Anyone interested in making a contribution to the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee is encouraged to do so,” said Danielle Alvarez, a spokeswoman for the committee. “There is an incredible interest and excitement for President Trump’s inauguration and the events surrounding.”
Inauguration events begin on Jan. 17. Those who gave $1 million or raised $2 million were supposed to be entitled to six tickets each for six different events, according to an updated list of benefits, including the swearing-in ceremony and a sought-after “candelight dinner” on Jan. 19 with Mr. Trump and his wife, Melania, that is described as the weekend’s “pinnacle event.”
They also received two tickets to a dinner with Vice President-elect JD Vance and his wife, Usha.
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