Anika Begay
Billionaire Republican donor Miriam Adelson appears to have a blank check policy when it comes to her support for former President Donald Trump, as she aims to help him return to the White House.
Adelson’s political aide, Andy Abboud, was overheard telling attendees at a campaign event at Trump’s golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey, on Thursday that whatever the Republican presidential nominee needs from Adelson, he will get his boss’s support, according to Abboud and a person with direct knowledge of the matter.
This person and one other in this story were granted anonymity to speak freely about private matters.
“We’re going to do whatever it takes for him to win,” Abboud said in a brief telephone interview with Vscek on Friday, confirming those overheard comments. “In his [Adelson’s] mind, and in the minds of those who run the political action committee [Preserve America]We will do whatever it takes for him to win.”
She noted that Adelson’s money to support Trump won’t necessarily be unlimited, and she didn’t provide a specific figure for how much the businesswoman might donate to support Trump.
The super PAC Preserve America, which Adelson is helping fund, plans to spend more than the more than $100 million it put up against President Joe Biden during the 2020 election, David Carney, a senior adviser to the committee, said in a statement to Vscek. Adelson has already donated $5 million to the PAC, according to Federal Election Commission records.
The super PAC can spend and raise unlimited money opposing Vice President Kamala Harris, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee. It has booked more than $40 million in TV ads through September that will challenge Harris and support Trump, according to data from AdImpact. The super PAC will end up spending about $60 million by Labor Day, according to a person familiar with the matter.
The spots air in key states: Michigan, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.
Adelson vocally supported Trump at the rally in New Jersey and urged Jewish voters to support him instead of Harris.
“President Trump deserves the full support of the entire Jewish people,” said Adelson, who received the Medal of Freedom from Trump in 2018. “And for anyone who cares about the security and prosperity of Israel, this must be our promise to them, that the White House will be theirs again in January.”
Abboud’s acknowledgement that Adelson will do whatever it takes to help Trump rather than Harris suggests she could end up becoming a crucial donor to the former president by the end of the 2024 election cycle.
Adelson is the widow of the late casino magnate Sheldon Adelson and has a net worth of more than $28 billion, according to Forbes. Miriam Adelson and her family own more than half of Las Vegas Sands, the casino giant founded by her late husband.
Both Miriam and Sheldon Adelson have been major donors to Trump since the 2016 election. Together, they were the biggest donors during the 2020 election, giving $200 million to Republicans, including about $90 million to Preserve America, according to OpenSecrets data.
According to FEC records, the super PAC managed to raise just over $105 million and spent most of it opposing candidate Biden.
The donations came after the Adelsons became close to Trump and saw the political victories he won under his administration, such as moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.
There is no indication that Miriam Adelson will stop donating, despite a New York Times report, citing sources, that Adelson received angry text messages from a Trump aide complaining about the people running Preserve America.
