Casino magnate and top GOP donor Sheldon Adelson said he would support Donald Trump now that he has become the party’s presumptive nominee.
“Yes, I’m a Republican, he’s a Republican,” Mr. Adelson told The New York Times. “He’s our nominee. Whoever the nominee would turn out to be, any one of the 17 — he was one of the 17. He won fair and square.”
Mr. Adelson made the comments Thursday in New York City while attending a gala dinner for the World Values Network, a Jewish organization, The Times reported. The magnate reportedly told another journalist that he thinks Mr. Trump “will be good for Israel.”
Mr. Adelson had discussed Israel with the fellow billionaire during a meeting in December, in which he said Mr. Trump was “very charming.”
Just two months earlier, Mr. Trump tweeted, “Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to [Marco] Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree!”
Mr. Adelson reportedly has met with several candidates in the 2016 presidential race but has remained relatively quiet on who he planned to endorse.
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who hosted Thursday’s event, agreed that a Trump presidency would be good for Israel, Newsweek reported.
“He has been very vocal in his criticism of the Iran nuclear agreement, which is an existential threat to the state of Israel,” he said, adding that Mr. Trump has surrounded himself with people “who have a history of long, long support of Israel.”
• Jessica Chasmar can be reached at jchasmar@washingtontimes.com.
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