Back in May, the NY Times reported that casino magnate Sheldon Adelson promised presidential hopeful Donald Trump in a private meeting that he was willing to contribute “a sum that could exceed $100 million,” this “according to two Republicans with direct knowledge of Mr. Adelson’s commitment.” Well, according to CNN, on Tuesday Adelson kept 5% of said commitment. This time Adelson, who in 2012 sank $100 million in several Republican nominees and ended up with zero returns on his investment, will hand out $40 million to Congressional Republicans and only $5 million to the Trump campaign.
CNN pointed out that even this smaller donation is the first the Adelsons have doled out in all of the 2016 election season. After the giant bundle he parted with four years ago, Adelson has been courted by the entire Republican presidential field and every Republican on the Hill. Now that Sheldon and his wife Miriam have decided to give something, other big time GOP donors might get over their fears of helping Trump become the next president. In that context, Trump needed Adelson’s approval more than his money.
Meanwhile, Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party have had their best fundraising month in August, pulling in $143 million for the campaign and for the party. This represents a 58% rise from July, when Hillary took in $90 million. The Washington Post reported that in August $62 million went to Hillary and $81 million to the Democratic National Committee and state parties. So, pneumonia, shneumonia, Hillary attended more than 70 fundraising events in August.
In May, Adelson wrote an op-ed in the Washington Post that since “it is clear that Donald Trump will be the Republican nominee for president … I am endorsing Trump’s bid for president and strongly encourage my fellow Republicans — especially our Republican elected officials, party loyalists and operatives, and those who provide important financial backing — to do the same.” Not so much out of his admiration for the real estate magnate from New York City, but because “the alternative to Trump being sworn in as the nation’s 45th president is frightening.”
Adelson berated “some Republicans” who 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.”
So, it’s clear Adelson doesn’t like Hillary Clinton. Does the same go for his protégé, Prime Minister Netanyahu? Who knows. The fact that Adelson is only risking $5 million on his Trump investment, after having lavished so much more on the likes of Newt Gingrich and Mitt Romney, speaks volumes.