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.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 loony toons about the Warner Bros. buyoutCartoons Artists take on movie theaters, high quality cinema, and more
-
Political cartoons for December 13Cartoons Saturday's political cartoons include saving healthcare, the affordability crisis, and more
-
Farage’s £9m windfall: will it smooth his path to power?In Depth The record donation has come amidst rumours of collaboration with the Conservatives and allegations of racism in Farage's school days
-
Senate votes down ACA subsidies, GOP alternativeSpeed Read The Senate rejected the extension of Affordable Care Act tax credits, guaranteeing a steep rise in health care costs for millions of Americans
-
Abrego García freed from jail on judge’s orderSpeed Read The wrongfully deported man has been released from an ICE detention center
-
Indiana Senate rejects Trump’s gerrymander pushSpeed Read The proposed gerrymander would have likely flipped the state’s two Democratic-held US House seats
-
Democrat files to impeach RFK Jr.Speed Read Rep. Haley Stevens filed articles of impeachment against Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
-
$1M ‘Trump Gold Card’ goes live amid travel rule furorSpeed Read The new gold card visa offers an expedited path to citizenship in exchange for $1 million
-
US seizes oil tanker off VenezuelaSpeed Read The seizure was a significant escalation in the pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro
-
Judge orders release of Ghislaine Maxwell recordsSpeed Read The grand jury records from the 2019 prosecution of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein will be made public
-
Miami elects first Democratic mayor in 28 yearsSpeed Read Eileen Higgins, Miami’s first woman mayor, focused on affordability and Trump’s immigration crackdown in her campaign
