In Republican presidential politics, one of the top names fundraisers try to woo is Sheldon Adelson.
The Jewish billionaire has bankrolled a number of presidential campaigns in the past, and his support is often seen as a stamp of support from the influential Republican Jewish Coalition. While the latter might not be the case in 2016, Adelson made it clear over the weekend he’s going to throw his support behind presumptive nominee Donald Trump in the upcoming general election.
According to the New York Times, which first reported the deal, Adelson is willing to part with at least $100 million to help boost Trump’s campaign. For starters, he will give the maximum allowed by law to both the Trump campaign and the Republican National Committee, but the overwhelming majority would have to be funneled through a Super PAC, which is allowed to accept unlimited donations.
According to the Republicans familiar with Mr. Adelson’s planning, he and his advisers are still uncertain about which super PAC to use as their vehicle for the bulk of the contributions. They are wary of some of the current groups that purportedly exist to help Mr. Trump, who has been clear that he is uneasy with outside entities promoting his candidacy. At rallies, he has consistently criticized opponents who relied on super PACS, saying they were being bought by wealthy donors.
That’s not entirely the case, though. Recently, Trump has begun to speak highly of one Super PAC in particular: Great America PAC led by Ed Rollins. Rollins is particularly well known in GOP circles for helping to orchestrate Ronald Reagans near-sweep of the map in 1984.
Rollins has been using Trump’s “endorsement” to ramp up the group’s fundraising efforts. In a recent email, he touted both the presumptive nominee’s kind words, as well as his work for Reagan 32 years ago:
Donald Trump wants to make America great again—and if we want him to succeed, we must help him win a decisive victory of historic proportions over that “liberal” Hillary Clinton …
In 1984, I had the honor of managing President Ronald Reagan’s historic re-election campaign, which reaffirmed the American people’s strong support for a conservative reformer who came from the people—not the political elites—with one of the greatest political victories in American history.
In winning 49 of 50 states in a 525-electoral vote landslide, President Reagan utterly defeated leftist Democrats and continued his historic reversal of the economic, cultural and military decline of the Carter years. Now, after almost eight years of even worse decline under the deceptive, divisive and disastrous rule of radical “Community Organizer-in-Chief” Barack Obama, America needs a strong, independent, courageous, conservative leader more than ever—and that leader is Donald J. Trump!
Adelson, who provided financial support to U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) during the primary race—in a much more subdued manner than for former Speaker of the House New Gingrich in 2012—penned an op-ed over the weekend for the Washington Post. In it, he explained his endorsement and support for Trump:
The alternative to Trump being sworn in as the nation’s 45th president is frightening …
As Republicans, we know that getting a person in the White House with an “R” behind his name is the only way things will get better.
That opportunity still exists. We must not cut off our noses to spite our faces.
If Republicans do not come together in support of Trump, Obama will essentially be granted something the Constitution does not allow—a third term in the name of Hillary Clinton …
In my view, a governor of a state is ideally qualified to be president. A governor is a state’s final decision maker—its chief executive and steward of the public’s money. I felt strongly that someone with that level of CEO experience would be well-trained for the job of president.
It turns out that is exactly what we are getting in Trump. He is a candidate with actual CEO experience, shaped and molded by the commitment and risk of his own money rather than the public’s. He is a CEO success story that exemplifies the American spirit of determination, commitment to cause and business stewardship …
You may not like Trump’s style or what he says on Twitter, but this country needs strong executive leadership more today than at almost any point in its history. The world is less secure than ever, and our allies have lost confidence in our ability to lead. The economy is not growing the way it should. The middle class is finding it harder and harder to get by.
Trump has created a movement in this country that cannot be denied. He will end this primary election cycle having garnered more Republican primary votes for president than anyone before.
But some Republicans are sitting on the sidelines, threatening to stay home on Election Day or, worse, suggesting they will vote for Clinton. They must realize the stakes are too high for an outcome that will have a damaging impact on our country.
Sources close to the situation said Adelson met with Trump recently while in New York City, where the two discussed a number of issues, but primarily defense of Israel. Trump is said to have pledged to defend Israel’s security, which likely resulted in the endorsement announced over the weekend.
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