Donald Trump courts GOP donors in NYC

NEW YORK, June 9 (UPI) -- Presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is hosting a gathering of top GOP donors at his Trump Tower in New York on Thursday, one of his first attempts at wooing his party's wealthiest supporters.

The meeting, first reported by The New York Times, is the first of its kind since Trump secured the nomination last month. Trump has headlined a handful of party fundraisers, with more on his upcoming schedule, but has also been reluctant to reach out to big donors personally with one-on-one phone calls.

Trump was scheduled to host the group of about 70 individuals at Trump Tower, then share lunch at the Four Seasons hotel just around the corner.

Trump's foray into the world of big political donors comes after a primary campaign in which he frequently assailed his competitors for cow-towing to big money interests, something Trump said he was immune to because he was using his own personal wealth to fund his primary campaign.

For the general election, however, Trump has said he will need support from major party donors and has set up a joint fundraising account with the Republican National Committee to aid in that process.

Trump began the general election campaign saying he would need to raise about $1 billion for the general election, though he has since backed off that number, saying he will be able to rely on free media coverage and his vast reach on social media instead of traditional campaign advertising.

Critics have said Trump's controversial campaign style has turned off many of the party's top donors, and that Trump may struggle to raise even one-third of his initial $1 billion goal.