The Miami Grand Prix issued a cease and desist letter to prominent Trump donor Steven Witkoff after learning that he planned to use his rented suite at the race for fundraising purposes. The Formula One event sent the warning to Witkoff, who has close ties with former President Donald Trump, following reports that suggested his plan involved charging attendees $250,000 per ticket for a political gathering.
The letter stated: “It has come to our attention that you may be using your Paddock Club Rooftop Suite for a political purpose, namely raising money for a federal election at $250,000 per ticket.” It added that if the claims were true, Witkoff’s suite license would be revoked and he would not be permitted to attend the race in any capacity.
The terms of use on Witkoff’s rented suite forbid it from being used “for advertising, promotional or commercial purposes (including without limitation, prizes, competitions, contests, or sweepstakes) without the prior written consent of Promoter and the F1 entities…” Although Trump was not explicitly advertised as attending the event, multiple people who had called about the gathering claimed that it would be for his benefit. The Secret Service also reportedly contacted race officials to arrange logistics in preparation for the former President’s arrival at the Miami Grand Prix.
Witkoff declined to comment further when approached by a journalist from the Washington Post but termed their assertion about an anticipated meeting between Witkoff, Trump, and high rollers as “something fake.”
Leave a Reply