Sheldon Adelson’s Las Vegas Newspaper Is First To Endorse Trump

Sheldon Adelson Image by getty images

By Nathan Guttman October 24, 2016

Donald Trump got his first major newspaper endorsement Sunday — and it’s hardly a surprise given its owner.

The Las Vegas Review-Journal, which was purchased last year by Jewish Republican mega-donor Sheldon Adelson, ran an editorial endorsement calling voters in Nevada, one of the key swing states in the upcoming elections, to vote Trump.

“History tells us that agents for reform often generate fear and alarm among those intent on preserving their cushy sinecures,” the paper’s editorial board wrote of Trump, urging its readers not to be “distracted by the social media sideshows and carnival clatter.” The paper acknowledged in its endorsement that “Mr. Trump’s impulsiveness and overheated rhetoric alienate many voters,” but argued that “neither candidate will ever be called to the dais to accept an award for moral probity and character.”

Adelson took over his hometown publication last year. He also owns the Israeli daily Israel Hayom, which provided in recent months positive coverage of Trump’s campaign, including a series of exclusive interviews with he candidate.

According to the New York Times until the Sunday endorsement by the Las Vegas paper, the biggest publications expressing support for Trump were the Santa Barbara News Press, and the St. Joseph, Mo., News Press.

The endorsement is yet another demonstration of Adelosn’s support for the Republican candidate. Though hesitant and slow to provide financial backing, the Vegas casino mogul has emerged late in the race as Trump’s biggest contributor, giving more than $10 million to his campaign through a supportive super PAC. Adelson, however, made clear to Trump personally that he does not approve of the way he is running his presidential campaign and urged him to stop attacking his own party members and focus on criticizing Hillary Clinton and Obama’s economic record.

Contact Nathan Guttman at guttman@forward.com or on Twitter @nathanguttman

Nathan Guttman, staff writer, was the Forward’s Washington bureau chief. He joined the staff in 2006 after serving for five years as Washington correspondent for the Israeli dailies Haaretz and The Jerusalem Post. In Israel, he was the features editor for Ha’aretz and chief editor of Channel 1 TV evening news. He was born in Canada and grew up in Israel. He is a graduate of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

A message from our CEO & publisher Rachel Fishman Feddersen

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s award-winning, nonprofit journalism during this critical time.

The coming year promises to be filled with more complex and historic developments. We are entering an era where independent, fact-based Jewish journalism will be more important than ever. We need to be ready for whatever 2025 will bring, and with your help, we can be.

We’ve set a goal to raise $260,000 by December 31. That’s an ambitious goal, but one that will give us the resources we need to invest in the high quality news, opinion, analysis and cultural coverage that isn’t available anywhere else.

If you feel inspired to make an impact, now is the time to give something back. Join us as a member at your most generous level.

— Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO