Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump is the guest speaker Friday before a low-profile conservative Hollywood group whose 2,300 members come from the high-powered TV, film and music industry, according to
The Hollywood Reporter.
Friends Of Abe's sold-out, off-the-record event in Brentwood comes amid a furor over
Trump's remarks about illegal Mexican immigrants.
The event will be closed to the press.
"There’s a highly publicized and celebrated relationship between left-wing politicians and the Hollywood community, and for conservatives in the industry, there’s a belief we should do more to create similar relationships. FOA is one small part of that effort," Jeremy Boreing, who runs the conservative group, tells THR.
The real estate billionaire is just the latest GOP candidate to go before the group, THR reports; he follows Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, former Texas Gov. Rick Perry and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker also have visited the group, THR reports.
According to THR, details about the group were revealed when its petition for non-profit status was held up by the IRS. It was first organized about a decade ago when a few Hollywood conservatives met at a deli, and has now grown to 2,300 members, THR reports.
Early founders included actors Gary Sinise, Kelsey Grammer and Jon Voight, screenwriter, director and producer Lionel Chetwynd, and the late publisher Andrew Breitbart.
"Friends Of Abe is a non-partisan and non-profit group," Boreing tells THR. "We don’t endorse anybody or raise money for any candidate. We just come together for fellowship. It’s a safe place for like-minded people in the industry."
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