President-elect Donald Trump and Vice-President-elect JD Vance will be participating in fundraising dinners around their inauguration ceremony on Monday (Jan 20). Reportedly, major donors are contributing twice as much to gain direct access to the Republican duo at the private events when compared with the first inauguration, according to fundraising materials.

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According to The Guardian report, the donors are required to contribute at least $1 million to the fundraising committee to be able to briefly interact with Trump and Vance. The cost of this highest-tier ticket package is twice as much as the one from the previous cycle with the same access costing $500,000.

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The top-tier package gets a donor two tickets to a dinner with the vice president-elect and six tickets to the “candlelight dinner” where Trump will be present, reported The Guardian.

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Several people have made major donations at the $1 million level, the report said, citing sources familiar with the matter.

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The report further said that the inaugural committee has raised over $170 million and is expected to receive $200 million ultimately. It added that the committee is overfunded and has paid for the costs to put on the various receptions, lunches, dinners, and balls several times.

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According to The Guardian, a transition official suggested that it would be a better return on investment for donors if they contributed large sums to Trump-allied political action committees instead of making contributions to the inaugural committee.

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“Prospective donors wouldn’t even be noticed – or appreciated – at that level,” the official said, as quoted by The Guardian.

Fundraising ticket packages

According to the fundraising materials, there are five tiers of ticket packages for donating $1 million, $500,000, $250,000, $100,000 or $50,000.

The donors would need to contribute at the $1 million level to get access to the candlelight dinner with President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance. In 2017, a $500,000 contribution would get a donor access to the candlelight dinner for both.

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The candlelight dinner held at the National Building Museum in Washington is described as a black-tie dinner attended by Trump and Melania Trump. The vice president’s dinner is described as a more private black-tie event at the National Gallery of Art, according to promotional materials.

The donors who contribute at lower levels may not get access to the events where the president-elect will be present, however, they can still get face time with cabinet officials.

(With inputs from agencies)