UPDATED: No Newport Fundraiser for Trump at Blackstone CEO Schwarzman’s Home, Says Spokesman
GoLocalProv News Team
UPDATED: No Newport Fundraiser for Trump at Blackstone CEO Schwarzman’s Home, Says Spokesman
Earlier on Saturday, GoLocal unveiled that Schwarzman, the CEO of Blackstone Group, had been planning a Newport fundraiser for former President Trump.
And, GoLocal, in a separate article, reported that Schwarzman’s company Blackstone owns Ennovi Advanced Mobility Solutions Rhode Island Inc., which announced just a few weeks ago the closure of its East Providence facility and the layoff of 205 employees.
Schwarzman announced in May that he is supporting Trump in the 2024 election. Schwarzman, the billionaire co-founder and chair of the world’s largest private equity firm and a megadonor to Republicans, said in a statement “The dramatic rise of antisemitism has led me to focus on the consequences of upcoming elections with greater urgency. I share the concern of most Americans that our economic, immigration and foreign policies are taking the country in the wrong direction. For these reasons, I am planning to vote for change and support Donald Trump for President. In addition, I will be supporting Republican Senate candidates and other Republicans up and down the ticket.”
According to Forbes and Bloomberg, Schwarzman is worth about $40 billion.
Disclosure of Rhode Island Layoffs
The more than 200 Rhode Islanders who work in East Providence for a company owned by Blackstone are being laid off and they are all non-union.
The WARN (Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification) letter required by federal law from the company was issued on July 26, and the factory will be shuttering at the end of the year or a short-time after that date.
“The claims about him planning a fundraiser are completely untrue,” said a spokesperson for Schwarzman.
“We believe the event was canceled after the disclosure of the layoffs in Rhode Island by Schwarzman’s company,” said Josh Fenton, CEO and co-founder of GoLocal.
The spokesperson for Schwarzman says, "This is also false -- he was never planning a fundraiser in Newport.”
The Home
Miramar was intended as a summer home for the George D. Widener family of Philadelphia. Schwarzman purchased the home for $27 million in 2021.
George Widener and his son Harry died aboard the RMS Titanic. The family made its fortune manufacturing street cars.
His widow, Eleanor Elkins Widener, survived the sinking; construction continued in 1913 and 1914, and she hosted a legendary reception unveiling the home on August 20, 1915.
The property in the future will be turned over to be used as a museum.
