Serbian businessman from the USA, Goran Petković, who was present at events at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in recent days, claims for Serbian Times that he does not believe the allegations that Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić was prevented from entering a Republican reception last weekend, after which he returned to Belgrade.
Petković is, incidentally, one of the founders and president of the Serbian American Political Action Committee (Serbian American PAC), which was a major sponsor of Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign and has visited the presidential estate in Florida several times, where he celebrated his victory in the November elections.
“On Thursday, along with several other members of our PAC, I attended first a reception and then a donor dinner for Byron Donalds, the Republican candidate for governor of Florida, which we sponsor both as an organization and privately, individually. Some foreign nationals, diplomats, and representatives of other countries also attended the cocktail, and only sponsors, American citizens, could enter the dinner, as regulated by law,” Petković says at the beginning of the conversation.
He adds that the next day, at a lunch in the hotel where a delegation of our businessmen from the USA was staying, he had the opportunity to meet President Vučić:
“He came to greet us, to introduce himself and take photos. He thanked us for what we are doing for the Serbian community in America and for the help we provide to Serbia. Each of us introduced ourselves and said what we do, and with us were the president of the Serbian Caucus in Congress, Congresswoman Claudia Tenney, Minister of Foreign Affairs Marko Đurić, State Secretary Damjan Jović, former Governor of Illinois Rod Blagojević, as well as the Consul of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Chicago, Tatjana Telić. The president looked tired, did not stay long, but went on, and we proceeded to the Republican Convention, where Trump gave a great speech that day, and then greeted the guests, including us from the Serbian American PAC.”
Petković says that they did not talk to Vučić about his plans, meetings with Trump, and American officials, but emphasizes that the story that the Serbian president was prevented from entering the Mar-a-Lago complex does not seem realistic to him.
“The security system in the presidential complex in Florida, which I have gone through several times, works so that when you receive an invitation, you are required to go through the security procedures of the U.S. Secret Service. When you arrive for the first time, you receive a link through which your personal documents, status, and citizenship are checked. Therefore, it sounds incredible to me that someone registered President Vučić under a false name, because that would have been discovered during the online check, he would not have been able to approach the Mar-a-Lago parking lot, let alone the building where the event took place. Secondly, it is known that foreign nationals cannot donate or attend political events of American politicians and candidates, so I believe that people from Vučić’s cabinet knew that,” our interlocutor states.
Petković also says that he, with members of the Serbian American PAC and other guests, was transported by bus to the presidential complex on both days, and that Vučić was not on those buses.
“Only lifetime members of the Mar-a-Lago club have the right to enter the parking lot directly, all others come by bus from nearby hotels. The price of that membership is, incidentally, one million dollars annually. I don’t know what really happened with our president, but the fact is that neither with his real name nor under a false name could he approach the complex without a prior background check,” Petković concludes.
SECURITY CHECKS ARE FOR EVERYONE: Goran Petković in the Mar-a-Lago complex
How much money does it take to enter Mar-a-Lago?
Asked how much it costs to enter events at Mar-a-Lago, specifically how much money as sponsorship you need to pay to receive an invitation, Goran Petković says:
“I see that millions are mentioned in the media, but that is simply not true. To attend the cocktail, you had to pay 10,000 dollars for Byron Donalds’ campaign. The price of the donor dinner, which is a special event that usually follows the reception, is 50,000 dollars, which is what each of us paid on this occasion,” Petković says.
Author: Serbian Times Photo: Privatna arhiva
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