Sheldon Adelson Image by Getty Images

WASHINGTON — Sheldon Adelson plans to spend tens of millions of dollars to help elect Donald Trump, the New York Times .

The casino billionaire, Republican megagiver and pro-Israel philanthropist last week declared his support for Trump in a Washington post Op-Ed but did not say whether that would mean a cash infusion.

The Times on Friday quoted two Republicans as saying that Trump and Adelson met last week in New York when Adelson was in the city to attend an event of the World Values Network, a Jewish group he helps fund. Adelson said he was ready to spend more than he had in any prior bid to elect a president, even more than $100 million, according to the report.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

Spending by Adelson and his wife, Miriam, in the 2012 cycle, has been estimated as being between $98 million and $150 million, but that includes money spent on congressional races. Adelson this time around would focus almost exclusively on the presidential race, the report said.

Trump, a real estate magnate and reality TV star whose likely Republican nomination has rattled the party, has until now been self-funded, but as he heads into a general election against likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, he has said he will seek outside funding.

He has riven the party and alienated many donors. Jewish Republicans particularly have been unsettled by his equivocating on what once were sine qua nons of Republican support for Israel, including tilting toward Israel in its dealings with Palestinians, recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and pledging to maintain and increase defense assistance for Israel.

Trump has at times said he would remain neutral on Israel and the Palestinians, has said and then walked back a refusal to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and has suggested Israel should pay for U.S. defense assistance.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount