Sheldon Adelson backs Trump trip to Israel after $100m pledge, sources say

theguardian.com

Conservative and big-money allies of Donald Trump are laying the groundwork for him to visit Israel this summer, an idea backed by Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, who recently indicated in a meeting with the candidate that he would provide about $100m to help Trump win the presidency, conservative sources have told the Guardian.

Three conservative sources with strong ties to Adelson say that the multibillionaire has touted the merits of a Trump trip to Israel, and planning has begun, though nothing has been finalized. “I’m sure Sheldon suggested the trip,” said one conservative donor close to Adelson.

Mort Klein, who runs the Zionist Organization of America and is close to Adelson, told the Guardian that Trump’s point man for Israel, Jason Greenblatt, informed him several weeks ago that Trump was “going to go there [Israel] before the [GOP] convention” which begins on 18 July...

Trump himself told an Adelson-owned newspaper in Israel last week that “I will be coming [to Israel] soon,” as part of a trip which might occur post convention to a few countries.

Adelson’s decision to commit some $100m to help Trump – which is likely to go to one or more Super Pac – was driven heavily by his view that Trump would be a “tremendous president” when it comes to Israel, as he recently stated in an email to RJC board members, plus other issues...

Adelson’s huge promise of support for Trump capped months of mulling about who to back by the often mercurial Las Vegas billionaire, whose net worth is pegged at $26bn, and was something of a political calculus.

Three conservative sources tell the Guardian that the Adelson decision came after getting reassuring reports from a few longtime close allies, including the former House speaker Newt Gingrich, a major Trump booster and reportedly a potential vice-presidential candidate who has signaled his interest in the No 2 slot. “I think Newt’s been trying to sell Sheldon on Trump for months,” said one GOP operative.

Another Adelson confidant who also provided him with some reassurance was Klein of the Zionist Organization of America, which has long benefited from Adelson’s largesse.

Klein told the Guardian that he met this spring with Trump’s Israel point man Jason Greenblatt, an orthodox Jew and a longtime real estate lawyer for Trump. After discussing key issues of concern about Israel, Klein said he was convinced that Greenblatt “cares deeply about Israel”, and he passed along his perceptions to Adelson.