Like most people I assumed that Sheldon Adelson was backing Donald Trump. He supposedly promised he would do so. But NBC reports today that he has not given any money to the Trump campaign.
This is “yuge” news. Adelson is capable of spending hundreds of millions of dollars on candidates he likes, and really could have been a major help to Trump.
This isn’t totally surprising. Recent news reports had not mentioned Adelson as a contributor and indicated only one major donor, a hedge fund manager named Robert Mercer.
NBC said as follows:
Adelson, whose top political priority is the security of Israel, attended the Republican National Convention in July. He was prepared to support Trump after the convention, but the candidate's tumultuous post-convention stretch revived concerns, according to a Republican with knowledge of Adelson's political activity.
It is possible that Adelson may eventually cave in and give money to Trump, but I doubt it. His number one priority is Israel, and Trump is not reliable on that issue.
Even though the Republican platform is emphatic in support of Israel, as is the Democratic platform, Trump has been wishy-washy. During the GOP primaries he was the least pro-Israel of the candidates, except perhaps for Rand Paul. He said that he would be “neutral” on Israel-Palestine. He made insulting comments at a meeting of Jewish donors.
During the general election he was criticized for his tweet showing a Jewish Star of David. His explanations made things worse.
On pocketbook issues Trump is Adelson’s kind of candidate, at least as much as Mitt Romney was. But he was seriously burned in the 2012 race, pouring nearly $100 million into Romney’s losing candidacy. Trump’s horrible showing in the polls, his erratic behavior, his inconsistent statements on Israel and anti-Semitic leanings work against him with Adelson.
His wife Miriam is a big influence on Adelson, and it is possible she has been antagonized by Trump’s misogyny.
He’ll give money down-ballot but don’t be surprised if he sits out the presidential race.