Trump will hold a fundraiser with possible VP contender J.D. Vance May 15

WASHINGTON — Former President Donald Trump is set to hold a high-dollar fundraiser with Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, May 15 in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The development, first reported by NBC News, comes as Vance has long been rumored to be a possible pick for Trump's vice president. The invitation is billed as a lunch discussion with Vance labeled as a “special guest,” according to the invitation.

Host committee members are expected to raise or contribute $250,000 per couple, while the amount is $100,000 per couple or $50,000 per person for attendees, according to the invitation. The former president is likely to hold a campaign event in Ohio the same day as the event.

Vance previously said on “Fox News Sunday” last month that though he’s very close with Trump, he’s never spoken to him about being vice president.

The Ohio native said he would “have to think seriously about” the vice president position, adding that he believes it is “really important” that Trump wins in the fall.

Vance and Trump weren’t always a tight knit pair. The Ohio senator previously said he was a “Never Trump guy” in a 2016 interview. However, the two became closer after Trump endorsed Vance in his bid for Senate in 2022.

“Take it from someone who was anti-Trump early on and then saw the belly of the beast: the Republican Party without Donald Trump is a disaster, morally and politically,” Vance posted on X, formerly Twitter, earlier this year.

The Trump campaign, concerned about money, is lining up a string of fundraisers in and around the hush money trial. On May 14, Trump is holding a high-profile fundraiser dinner in Manhattan, New York.

Contributing: David Jackson, USA TODAY

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Trump to hold a fundraiser with Ohio Senator J.D. Vance