Oracle Chairman Larry Ellison hosted President Donald Trump at his Rancho Mirage, California estate on February 19, 2020, for a high-dollar campaign fundraiser that raised approximately $7 million for Trump's reelection campaign. Attendees paid $100,000 for a golf outing and photo opportunity with the president, while those contributing an additional $150,000 gained access to a private round-table discussion. The event took place at Ellison's Porcupine Creek estate, less than two weeks before California's Super Tuesday primary election.
Proceeds from the event went to the "Trump Victory" fund, a joint fundraising vehicle between the Trump campaign, the Republican National Committee, and 11 state Republican party committees. The fundraiser marked Ellison's public alignment with Trump despite Oracle's business interests that could benefit from favorable government treatment, including pending cloud computing contracts with federal agencies and the Department of Defense.
The event sparked significant controversy among Oracle employees, with over 2,300 signatures on a Change.org petition stating that "the event runs counter to Oracle's core values of diversity, inclusiveness, and ethical business conduct." Protesters lined Highway 111 chanting "lock him up!" as Trump's motorcade arrived at the estate. The fundraiser demonstrated the emerging alliance between Ellison and Trump that would later manifest in Oracle's involvement in the TikTok deal and expanded intelligence community contracts.
This event exemplifies how billionaire tech executives cultivate relationships with political leaders through private fundraisers, creating conflicts of interest when their companies subsequently benefit from government contracts worth billions of dollars. Ellison's willingness to host Trump while Oracle pursued Pentagon cloud contracts and intelligence agency business raises questions about whether political donations and personal relationships influence the awarding of sensitive national security contracts.