Republican presidential front-runner Donald Trump met on Tuesday with major GOP donor Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino mogul who is a much-sought-after donor in the race for the party’s presidential nomination.
“Mr. Trump would be happy to have Mr. Adelson’s support but doesn’t want or need his money,” Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said in an email. “What I told Sheldon through his people is that I’d love their support. It’s unnecessary, but I’d like his support. I don’t want his money,” Trump said.
The rendezvous took place on Tuesday afternoon at the Venetian, a luxury Italian-themed hotel and casino on the Las Vegas Strip that is owned by Adelson and hosted Tuesday evening’s CNN debate.
In a telephone interview prior to the meeting, Trump explained it as a courtesy and a dialogue rather than a solicitation for campaign donations. “Sheldon knows that I’m in town because of the debate, and he’s been a friend of mine for a long time,” Trump said. “He called to see whether or not we could meet, and we are going to meet.”
“The only thing I can tell you is that Sheldon Adelson is very well-protected because I will take care of Israel,” the real estate tycoon added. Trump has repeatedly promised to use his own personal fortune to fund his campaign, rather than relying on donors. He also previously taunted Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) for jockeying too hard for Adelson’s checkbook earlier this year.
He also said it would not surprise him if Adelson was willing to support a more traditional Republican contender. “That’s okay,” Trump said. “Look, I don’t expect his support, even though I know him and like him and he likes me. I don’t expect his support because people like putting up money to candidates. They’re like gamblers. They’re like horse-betters.”
“I’ve had so many people come up to my office and beg me to take their money,” he added. “I say: ‘No, thank you. I’m not interested in that.’ So they go and give to other candidates. They’re like junkies. They want the action. If they can’t have action with their money, they go look for action somewhere else.”
According to Alex Conant, a spokesman for Rubio, Adelson also met on Monday with Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.).
Although Trump may not be looking for financial support from Adelson, it’s not exactly true that he is completely self-funding his campaign, as he’s repeatedly said on the campaign trail. In October, for example, financial disclosures revealed that donations outpaced his self-funding.
Mr. Trump has mocked one of his rivals, Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida, as a “little puppet” after rumors surfaced that Adelson was looking to support his candidacy. Adelson has told allies that he was bothered by Mr. Trump’s mocking of him on Twitter. But more recently, Adelson, a heavy financial backer of the Republican Jewish Coalition, told associates that he was disturbed by Mr. Trump’s performance at the group’s candidate forum in Washington. At that event, Trump would not promise to keep Jerusalem as the undivided capital of Israel.
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