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Trump Already Painting Rubio as Adelson ‘Puppet’

The televised Democratic presidential primary Tuesday night may not be as a determining factor in who might become president of the U.S. next fall as the next GOP TV debate at the end of the month is expected to be.

A report by Politico on Monday indicated that GOP mega-donor Sheldon Adelson is leaning toward imminently supporting Republican presidential candidate Marco Rubio.

As first reported by Jewish Insider, last Thursday during a 3-day campaign trip to Nevada, Rubio held a meeting with Adelson at his offices in Las Vegas. The meeting was short and the billionaire did not make nay commitment. But according to the Politico report, the two were joined by Rubio’s campaign manager, Terry Sullivan, senior Adelson adviser Rob Goldstein and Patrick Dumont, his step-son-in-law.

According to sources close to the casino mogul, the endorsement could come as soon as the end of October, following the next Republican presidential debate, which will be held October 28 in Boulder, Colorado and aired on CNBC.

Politico’s Mike Allen wrote on Tuesday that what sealed the deal with Adelson was Rubio’s promise to reorder U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East. But he also wants to see if Rubio continues to show strength on the debate stage and assess whether the Florida Senator is able to take to the finish line with his assistance.

The prospects of an insurgent Rubio is already driving Republican frontrunner Donald Trump crazy.

“Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree!” Trump, who’s self-funding his primary campaign, tweet Monday night.

It should be noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is often described as a puppet to Adleson, after the latter started publishing a daily freebie, Israle Hayom, that contributed to Netanyahu’s victory in 2009.

Other than being a leading favorite to win the Adelson primary, Rubio is also rumored to be the leading GOP contender to receive the coveted endorsement and support of New York hedge fund manager Paul Singer.

Rubio will be in New York on Wednesday to attend a high-dollar fundraiser headlined by several Republican Jewish Coalition board members. The event is hosted by Phil Rosen, a co-chair of Weil Gotshal’s real estate practice, who serves as a foreign policy advisor for the campaign. Rosen is close with Sheldon Adelson, with whom he serves on the boards of the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) and Birthright Israel.

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