Lindy Li went from raising money for Democrats to now fundraising for President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural committee.
"It's been one of the most painful and rewarding moments of my life," Li said to the Daily Mail.
Li told Daily Mail she faced backlash for criticizing Democrats, being labeled a traitor and receiving a series of racist and sexist slurs from angry followers.
Prominent Republicans put her in touch with Eric Trump, which led to meetings with GOP officials and members of the Trump transition team. Li said she has been welcomed by the party with open arms and has raised more than six figures for Trump, Daily Mail reported.
During the 2024 election, Li was named by Wired Magazine as one of the top influencers of the 2024 election, as she attended events with President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and first lady Jill Biden and promoted the party while condemning Trump.
The party told her Harris would easily defeat Trump and pushed her to raise more money, Li told Daily Mail. She now believes the party was lying to her.
"It was just startling how there was no sense of responsibility. They essentially set $2 billion on fire in 100 days," Li said on NewsNation.
Li said Democrats only have themselves to blame for refusing to accept criticism.
"They'd rather destroy the critics rather than accept that the party might have done something wrong, it's more convenient to blame me," Li told the Daily Mail.
Behind the scenes, Li told the Daily Mail she is working on recruiting more Democrat donors for Trump but said a lot of people fear retribution from the party. More Americans are willing to give him a chance, she said.
"I think people have had enough of the 'Oh, Trump is really bad, we're going to pre-hate everything he does,'" she said. "I think it's dead."
Li said she will be attending the inauguration and told the Daily Mail she appreciated how welcoming everyone has been on the Republican side.
"They are so much more human with me," she said to the Daily Mail. "With the DNC, it was so mercenary; it felt that everyone had dollar signs in their eyes. They treated me like a wallet; it was just so disgusting and gross."
Sam Barron ✉
Sam Barron has almost two decades of experience covering a wide range of topics including politics, crime and business.
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