Host of Trump fundraiser made racist comments in the workplace, former employee says in settled lawsuit

• Donald Trump is scheduled to attend a campaign fundraiser in Las Vegas hosted by a construction equipment magnate who was accused of making racist comments at work.
• A recent lawsuit by a former Ahern Rentals employee alleged that Don Ahern regularly used racist language at work. Ahern denied this. The suit was settled out of court.
• Trump and Ahern have been close for years, but that alliance could face scrutiny from key voting blocs.

Former President Donald Trump will be hosted at a fundraiser Saturday by a construction equipment magnate who was accused in a recent lawsuit of making racist remarks to his employees, according to legal filings reviewed by CNBC.

Trump is scheduled to attend the event in Las Vegas at the Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel, which is owned by businessman Don Ahern. The tycoon and founder of Ahern Rentals is listed as a co-host of the event, with ticket prices for couples going for up to $844,600, according to an invitation obtained by CNBC.

In 2022, an employee who worked at Ahern Rentals for 17 years alleged in a lawsuit that he witnessed Don Ahern repeatedly make racist and bigoted statements in the workplace.

The plaintiff in the case, Mark Townsend, was terminated from his job at Ahern Rentals and his suit sought monetary damages "for lost income, lost benefits, lost earnings capacity, and other economic loss suffered by plaintiff," according to the original complaint. There was no specific monetary value cited, and the case was settled out of court in July 2023.

Among Townsend's allegations are that he heard Don Ahern say, "We don't like hiring n------. They are dumb. They are just born that way."

He also alleged that he heard Ahern say, "If it was up to me, I would get rid of all the n------,