Donald Trump reportedly tried to woo the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson. They turned him down.

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published 5 November 2015

Last month, Donald Trump tweeted that "Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree!" What Trump failed to mention was that he had wanted the staunchly pro-Israel Adelson's money, too — but was turned down.

Trump prides himself on funding his own presidential campaign and flying solo without a super PAC. And yet, according to sources who spoke with Politico and The New York Times, Trump has reached out to some of the biggest names in the Republican mega-donor world, including Adelson, Paul Singer, and the Koch brothers. All the while, he's been publicly expressing disdain for his fellow 2016 GOP presidential candidates trying to woo mega-donors.

The hypocrisy was explained by one source as Trump being "concerned about [the megadonors] running attack ads against him. And of course he would have taken their money." Trump reportedly tried telling Adelson he'd be "the greatest supporter of Israel!" only to have "Sheldon basically [tell] Trump he didn't give a sh-t," one person in the know told The New York Times. Similarly, Trump reportedly tried to cozy up to the Kochs — only to fail to be invited to a Koch event for GOP candidates in August. Another time, Trump tried (and failed) to arrange a meeting with Singer through his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. Just last week, Singer endorsed Marco Rubio.

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Jeva Lange was the executive editor at TheWeek.com. She formerly served as The Week's deputy editor and culture critic. She is also a contributor to Screen Slate, and her writing has appeared in The New York Daily News, The Awl, Vice, and Gothamist, among other publications. Jeva lives in New York City. Follow her on Twitter.