Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump made a stop on the Peninsula on Monday to raise campaign funds.
Trump's Bay Area fundraiser took place at the Woodside estate of Saul Fox, CEO of Fox Paine and Co. His caravan arrived just after 7 p.m.
Fox has been a big donor for Republicans, and on Monday night, he was raising $25,000 a head from an estimated 40 guests, with rumors that some are giving much more in exchange for personal time with Trump.
Neighbor Mary Hall decked out four-legged Harley in a one-horse protest.
"They have fundraisers here all the time, but I think he’s gotten too much attention for his inflammatory statements. So I'm making my own inflammatory statement."
The fundraiser was to have been the second for Trump on Monday, but a similar event in Napa was canceled. Neither Trump nor guests stopped to talk outside afterward.
NBC Bay Area's Investigative Unit confirmed reports first published by the online publication Intercept that show Fox was moving money to Republicans through a so-called ghost corporation known as the Children of Israel LLC; $150,000 last year to support Mike Huckabee, another $400,000 this year supporting Ted Cruz and $334,000 to the Republican National Committee.
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Woodside is a frequent destination for political candidates in search of campaign cash, including past visits from President Barack Obama and Trump's opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.
"He’s got his fans, and he’s got his haters, and he’s probably trying to avoid the haters," Castro Valley resident Nick Dieter said about Trump.
"If he was coming, there would be protests ... and I think that’s why it’s a secret," said Judity Huddleston, of Woodside.
Trump has been trailing Clinton by a relatively wide margin in the national polls.
Political analyst Nate Silver’s FiveThirtyEight website gives Trump just a bit over a 20 percent chance in November.
PPIC pollster Mark Baldassare says reversing those odds would be unprecedented.
"I can’t think of an example that would point to the kind of reversal that would have to take place," Baldassare said.
