Protesters yell at patrons at the outdoor seating area at the Trump Hotel, Wednesday, June 28, 2017, in Washington. President Donald Trump is attending a fundraiser at the hotel. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon) (Associated Press) 
 
 WASHINGTON (AP) — Republican donors paid $35,000 apiece to hear familiar a message from President Donald Trump: The media, particularly CNN, keep trying to take him down, and yet Republicans just keep on winning elections. He noted with pride that his party had won four special elections this year. 
 
 The president was whisked a few blocks from the White House to the Trump International Hotel, his name-branded Washington venue, for an evening of hobnobbing behind closed doors Wednesday with major party financiers, including Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn. 
 
 One attendee stood out: Nevada Sen. Dean Heller, part of a small group of Republicans whose objections just a day earlier had doomed — at least for now — the Senate's effort to repeal and replace President Barack Obama's health care law. 
 
 Trump did not single out Heller, but Wynn, the lead fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, gently jabbed him by urging all Republicans to come together to support the president's agenda. 
 
 Breaking with the tradition of his predecessor, Trump barred reporters from the event, despite an announcement earlier in the day that a pool of reporters would be allowed inside. Two people in the room, demanding anonymity to discuss a private event, relayed the messages given by Trump and Wynn. 
 
 "It's a political event, and they've chosen to keep that separate," White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said when asked why the event was closed to the media. 
 
 Trump's first re-election fundraiser comes some 40 months ahead of Election Day. Joined by first lady Melania Trump and top advisers, he held court for about two hours at an event attended by about 300 people that raised more than $10 million. The money is to be spread among Trump's campaign, the RNC and other GOP entities. 
 
 Security was tight at the hotel, where guests in long gowns and crisp suits began arriving around 5 p.m. But the event also drew critics. The president's motorcade was greeted by dozens of protesters, who hoisted signs with slogans like "Health care, not tax cuts" and chanted "Shame! Shame!" 
 
 Among the event's guests: Longtime GOP fundraiser-turned television commentator Mica Mosbacher and Florida lobbyist and party financier Brian Ballard. 
 
 The Trump International Hotel has become a place to see — and be seen — by current and former Trump staffers, lobbyists, journalist and tourists. Several Washington figures of considerable influence popped into the lobby even though they didn't plan to attend the fundraiser in an adjacent ballroom. 
 
 Trump's decision to hold a fundraiser at his own hotel has raised issues about his continued financial interest in the companies he owns. 
 
 Unlike previous presidents who have divested from their business holdings or interests before taking office, Trump moved his global business empire assets into a trust that he can take control of at any time. That means that when his properties — including his Washington hotel — do well, he stands to make money. 
 
 Trump technically leases the hotel from the General Services Administration, and profits are supposed to go to an account of the corporate entity that holds the lease, Trump Old Post Office LLC. It remains unclear what might happen to any profits from the hotel after Trump leaves office, or whether they will be transferred to Trump at that time. 
 
 Under campaign finance rules, neither the hotel nor the Trump Organization that operates it can donate the space for political fundraisers. It must be rented at fair-market value and paid for by the Trump campaign, the RNC or both. 
 
 Although this was Trump's first major-donor event, his re-election campaign has been steadily raising money since the day he was inaugurated, mostly through small donations and the sale of Trump-themed merchandise such as the ubiquitous, red "Make America Great Again" ball caps. The campaign raised about $7 million in the first three months of the year, according to Federal Election Commission reports. 
 
 The RNC also is benefiting from the new president's active campaigning, having raised about $62 million through the end of last month. The party has raised more online this year than it did in all of 2016 — a testament to Trump's success in reaching small donors. 
 
 Trump's re-election money helps pay for his political rallies. He's held five so far, and campaign director Michael Glassner says those events help keep him connected to his base of voters. 
 
 The constant politicking, however, means it is challenging for government employees to avoid inappropriately crossing ethical lines. Some watchdog groups have flagged White House employee tweets that veer into campaign territory. White House spokeswoman Lindsay Walters says the employees work closely with lawyers to avoid pitfalls. 
 
 Walters also says the White House takes care to make sure that Trump's political events and travel — including the Wednesday fundraiser — are paid for by the campaign and other political entities. 
 
 ___ 
 
 Associated Press writers Catherine Lucey and Darlene Superville contributed to this report. ||||| Image copyright AFP Image caption Healthcare was the main subject of protests 
 
 US President Donald Trump has hosted an event at his hotel in Washington, to raise cash for his 2020 re-election campaign. 
 
 Protesters greeted the president with cries of "Shame!"as he arrived at the $35,000 (£27,000) per person bash. 
 
 Many were unhappy with the Republican healthcare plan, holding placards that said "Healthcare, not tax cuts". 
 
 Holding the fundraising event at Trump International Hotel has increased concerns about conflicts of interest. 
 
 Richard Painter, who served as the chief ethics lawyer in the White House for former President George W Bush, said it was unacceptable for the president to be potentially benefiting financially from this kind of event. He should have picked another hotel, he said. 
 
 But Kathleen Clark, a law professor who specialises in government ethics at Washington University in St. Louis, told USA Today it did not break any laws. 
 
 It is not clear if the hotel is being paid to host the event. 
 
 Republican National Committee officials were expecting to raise about $10m, with about 300 places available. 
 
 Not all the money raised will go towards the Trump 2020 campaign - some will go to other Republican Party causes. 
 
 It is unusual for a president to raise cash for re-election so early in his first term, only five months since the former property developer took office. 
 
 "Of course he is running for re-election," White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told reporters on Wednesday. 
 
 Reporters were barred from attending the event. 
 
 The president has previously been criticised for entertaining foreign leaders at another of his properties in Florida. 
 
 A lawsuit filed in June argued President Trump was "flagrantly violating the constitution" by accepting payments from foreign governments, a charge the White House has strongly denied. ||||| Story highlights "Unfortunately there was some confusion," Sanders said 
 
 Occasionally, Obama's fundraising events were entirely closed to the media 
 
 Washington (CNN) Hours after telling reporters they would be allowed to cover President Donald Trump's first re-election fundraiser in Washington on Wednesday, the White House abruptly switched course, closing the event to media in a break from past precedent. 
 
 "Unfortunately there was some confusion with the (Republican National Committee) and due to the logistical challenges bringing in the press at this late moment is not going to be possible," said deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders in an email to reporters covering the White House. 
 
 Originally the event was listed on Trump's schedule as closed press. After being pressed by reporters to allow media coverage of the President's remarks, Sanders announced the event would be open to the White House press pool, a small group of reporters who share information with the larger White House press corps. 
 
 But two hours later, the event was closed again. The White House did not provide an explanation of the logistical challenges in accommodating the media. 
 
 When President Barack Obama raised money for his own campaign or for other Democrats, members of the media were often allowed to cover his remarks. However, the Obama White House generally barred cameras from covering those events. 
 
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– With a mere 40 months to go until the 2020 re-election, President Trump has started trying to refill the campaign coffers. Republican National Committee officials say around $10 million was raised at a Trump fundraising event at one of his own hotels Wednesday, where ticket prices started at $35,000, the BBC reports. Attendees at the Trump International Hotel a few blocks from the White House included casino mogul Steve Wynn, who's the lead fundraiser for the Republican National Committee, reports the AP. The money raised will be split between Trump's campaign, the RNC, and other Republican entities. In what CNN reports was a break from tradition, the press was barred from the event. The event was originally listed as closed to the press, but deputy White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later said White House press pool reporters would be allowed in. She did a U-turn on that Wednesday, saying, "There was some confusion with the RNC, and due to the logistical challenges, bringing in the press at this late moment is not going to be possible." Sources say Trump spoke for around two hours, with topics including "fake news" and the string of Republican victories in special elections. The AP notes that to stay on the right side of campaign finance laws, Trump's campaign would have had to pay for use of the hotel.