The 32,000-square-foot compound owned by Sun Microsystems cofounder Scott McNealy and his wife, which hit the market last year for $96.8 million, was the setting for President Trump's $1,000 to $50,000-per-plate campaign fundraising luncheon in Portola Valley this afternoon. And yes, the big Baby Trump balloon followed him there.
As we reported this morning, there was a whole lot of secrecy surrounding the fundraiser to the point that attendees didn't even know where it was — they were all just told to come to a meeting place in Palo Alto, from which they'd be taken to the event. Trump was reportedly scheduled to be airlifted right back out of the Bay Area around 2 p.m. today as he heads down to another fundraiser this evening in Los Angeles, but as of 2:30 it's unclear if he's officially left.
KPIX has a helicopter shot of the setup at the home.
We do know that the organization Vigil for Democracy succeeded in getting the big Baby Trump balloon aloft in Portola Valley, though it's unclear how close they got, or if they got there in time for the President to be confronted with it.
Vigil for Democracy was holding a protest near the home of Trump support Scott NcNealy, with the “Giant Baby Trump” balloon in attendance.
— San Francisco Chronicle (@sfchronicle) September 17, 2019
Read more: https://t.co/MeKlmuoiQE pic.twitter.com/wUqkNA3JDA
The baby Trump balloon makes an appearance in Portola Valley pic.twitter.com/Q4zJ1o1DKy
— Linda C. (@lcsquared) September 17, 2019
View from my backyard.
— Marissa Louie (@malouie) September 17, 2019
Our neighbor, Scott McNealy, decided to host a Trump re-election fundraiser 🤢🤮, and the protestors are on top of it. Cops are swarming around Portola Valley. Trump is here.
I’m going to put my DSLR camera away before a sniper shoots me. pic.twitter.com/pmFBVVf6fP
As the Chronicle reports, McNealy has been "one of few tech titans to consistently support the president," and he's been a self-described "raging capitalist." He stepped down as CEO of Sun Microsystems in 2006, after 22 years with the company, and it was in 2008 that he built that dream home on Los Trancos Road overlooking Palo Alto where the event was held today. While its current assessed value is just over $16.5 million, as Curbed noted when it hit the market last year, this raging capitalist is hoping to make something like a 500% return on the property with that near $100 million price tag — though it remains on the market 15 months later, go figure.
The home features plenty of richie-rich bangs and whistles like a pizza-making room, a disco, a home theater, a full gym, and a panic room, but a hundred million dollars worth?
Also, as the Chronicle notes, McNealy has been steadfast in his support of Trump, even after the tragedy in Charlottesville during the first year of his presidency. After Trump tried to obfuscate about the white supremacist gathering, McNealy backed him up saying publicly, "There were a lot of actions by a lot of people at that event that were illegal and should be prosecuted."
Anyway, check out pics of the enormous home here. And below, some protester pics:
Trump in Portola Valley pic.twitter.com/HunXrS5MQP
— bright strangely (@brightstrangely) September 17, 2019
I saw POTUS @realDonaldTrump earlier today on his way to lunch at Portola Valley pic.twitter.com/1c85EymSBR
— Alejandrina G.R. (@alejandrina_gr) September 17, 2019
Trump at Portola Valley for a fundraising. There was a LOT of police presence along Alpine road, as well as black shuttle buses. There was a line of police officers with the protestors, and they had such good interaction, even laughing about things. pic.twitter.com/H6uEAcrtU5
— Chi Veng 💎 (@ChiChiVeng) September 17, 2019