Ninth Non-Profit This Week Cancels Mar-a-Lago Event Following Trump’s Charlottesville Response

‘Important That We Not Allow Distractions’

The Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society today joined a growing number of non-profits and charitable organizations to withdraw their planned events at Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida.

“We have an unyielding commitment to inspire people to act on behalf of wildlife and the natural world,” the Zoo and Conservation Society’s CEO and president Andrew Aiken released in a statement. “After thoughtful consideration by Zoo leadership, we have decided it is important that we not allow distractions to deter us from our mission and culture.”  

“It is critical that the focus of this special night remains on saving species and raising awareness and money for the hundreds of animals, many of them endangered, in our care.” 

The Palm Beach Zoo and Conservation Society’s defection brings the tally of organization to at least nine, with the Salvation Army, the American Red Cross, and Susan G. Komen for the Cure all canceling their events on Friday.

The announcement follows the Palm Beach Preservation Foundation’s cancelation on Saturday. “Given the current environment surrounding Mar-a-Lago,” the organization announced via social media, “we have made the decision to move our annual dinner dance.”

The cancelations (costing Trump an estimated loss of $800,000 to $2.2 million) result from Donald Trump’s handling of the terror in Charlottesville.

In its aftermath, the president refused to denounce white supremacism. Three days later, Trump finally did so in a scripted response—only to, just over 24 hours later, blame “both sides” for the violence that cost activist Heather Heyer her life in an unhinged press conference.

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