The tabloid-tinged squabble between President Donald Trump and his biggest donor, Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson, didn’t last long. That’s a good thing for a president mired in multiple scandals and flagging in the polls.
From the horrendous response to the coronavirus pandemic to the stripping of the United States Postal Service in a campaign year that finds COVID-19-wracked states increasingly relying on mail-in balloting in the run-up to Election Day, Team Trump can use a little good news these days.
It received some last week, according to Axios, after Adelson adviser and Las Vegas Sands Senior Vice President of Government Relations Andy Abboud assured a group of top Republican donors at a meeting in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, “I just want to say that I just spoke to the Adelsons. They are 110 percent behind the president. And that’s going to become apparent shortly.”
It couldn’t come too soon for Trump.
This could be a tough week for the president with the Democratic National Convention eating up precious free airtime with former Vice President Joe Biden taking center stage alongside running mate Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif. A recent NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll had Biden 9 points ahead of the incumbent with a CBS News poll showing a 10 percent margin. Other polls show the race tighter.
In addition to the millions of dollars he potentially brings to the presidential poker game, the signal that all was well between Trump and the Republican mega-donor, who is the largest shareholder in Las Vegas Sands, must also have calmed fears of deeper concerns about the incumbent’s chances in November.
The development comes at a time other large GOP donors have been slow on the draw for Trump. Although it can be argued they’re not in Sheldon and Miriam Adelson’s league – not many are – the apparent reluctance raises new questions about whether the president’s relative charms are wearing thin with his biggest fans.
Las Vegas Sands Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson
The New York Times reports that many wealthy donors Trump previously relied on aren’t yet backing his play. As Adelson has, some have shifted support toward maintaining a Republican majority in the U.S. Senate. For now, others seem content to let someone else build the pot.
Although Pittsburgh banking heir Timothy Mellon in April ponied up $10 million to a Trump super PAC, as the Times reported, others have had a tepid response to the calls for contributions. Just six of the top 38 contributors to the president’s super PACs in the previous two election cycles have filled the coffers of America First PAC.
There may be good reasons for that in a pandemic-fueled recession. It’s also possible the money is flowing in other strategic directions. It’s also true that the Trump campaign isn’t exactly operating on a shoestring. All together he raised $165 million in July alone.
Surely Adelson’s message comes as a relief to Team Trump and may indeed end up signaling other like-minded donors that it’s once again time to go all-in for their man in the White House.
But the Times piece leaves a different impression:
“In recent weeks, prospective contributors to America First, and Trump’s joint fundraising committees with the Republican Party, have responded to solicitations by expressing concern that the president has not articulated a clear vision for the next four years, according to interviews with donors and people close to Trump and his fundraising efforts.”
That’s true, of course, but only if you are among those who don’t consider dismantling the postal service a sign of visionary leadership.
But even the president must be relieved now that the casino titan – with a net worth of $31.3 billion and No. 28 on the Forbes 400 – has announced he’s “110 percent” behind his re-election.
Trump had better hope Adelson doesn’t put that check in the mail.
John L. Smith is a longtime Las Vegas columnist and author. Contact him at jlnevadasmith@gmail.com. On Twitter: @jlnevadasmith.
