Adelson Backs Trump for President
Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson on Thursday expressed his support for Donald Trump as the presumptive Republican nominee for president in 2016.
“Yes, I’m a Republican, he’s a Republican. He’s our nominee. Whoever the nominee would turn out to be, any one of the 17 — he was one of the 17. He won fair and square,” Adelson told reporters while attending the World Values Network gala in New York City on Thursday.
“I think that Donald Trump will be good for Israel,” he added.
Watch: Asked casino mogul Sheldon Adelson if he’ll back #Trump. He said Trump is good for #Israel & he supports him. pic.twitter.com/LyrlbpJuRR
— Bahman Kalbasi (@BahmanKalbasi) May 6, 2016
In December 2015, the casino mogul told reporters he will support the party’s eventual nominee. “Any one of the 14 candidates is better than what we have today, better than what the opposition has by far,” Adelson said. “So whoever becomes the nominee, I’m going to support.”
Adelson signaled back in February that he could support Trump if he becomes the Republican nominee. “Trump is a businessman. I am a businessman. He employs a lot of people. I employed 50,000 people. Why not?” Adelson said during a gala honoring former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani on February 27 at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas.
Adelson’s comments come days after Trump secured the Republican nomination and expressed support for continued Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank.
Adelson told the NY Times on Thursday that he had spoken to Trump recently, but did not elaborate about the timing or nature of their conversation.