5 Things About Paul Singer, The Megadonor In Steve Bannon’s Crosshairs Over Trump Dossier
Image by Getty Images
By Nathan Guttman October 31, 2017
Jewish billionaire Paul Singer just got himself a powerful enemy.
Steve Bannon, Trump’s former top strategist and now Breitbart News chief, has vowed to go “off the chains” against Singer after it was revealed Singer funded an anti-Trump opposition research during the 2016 campaign.
According to a report on Axios, “in Bannon’s worldview, Singer belongs to a ‘globalist’ cabal that favors open borders and includes other bogeymen and bogeywomen such as George Soros and Hillary Clinton.”
Here are a few things to know about Paul Singer:
He never liked Donald Trump
Like many other Republican mega-donors, Singer was actively opposed to Donald Trump. In one meeting, he even warned that electing Trump would lead to a “global depression.” And while other donors fell in line as Trump moved closer to winning the nomination, Singer refused to accept Trump.
After heavily funding Trump’s primary rivals, Singer moved on to support the #NeverTrump movement seeking ways to crown a different candidate through the party convention.
He started warming up to Trump after the elections
Singer finally accepted Trump’s leadership after the November election and even donated to his inaugural committee. Singer and Trump have since spoken and met and while relations had never been close, Singer is now considered supportive of the Trump presidency and is a strong backer of his tax reform plan.
He is a top funder of LGBT groups
Following his gay son’s struggle to marry, Singer became a leading voice within the Republican Party for LGBT rights and has been a funder of organizations working on the issue. Much of Singer’s work has focused on getting moderate conservatives like him to adopt a pro-LGBT agenda.
He also partnered with evangelicals
In 2015, Singer joined forces with Steve Green, founder of Holy Hoby crafts chain to launch the Covenant Journey, a program of trips to Israel dubbed “Birthright for evangelicals.” Green, a conservative Christian known for his fight against the Obamacare mandate forcing contraception coverage, is the funder of the Bible Museum soon to open in Washington. The trips allow devout Christian students to visit Israel for free.
He predicted the financial meltdown — sort of
A hedge fund manager who specializes in distressed assets, Singer became a legend in financial circles after warning finance ministers of the seven largest economies in 2007 of the upcoming global meltdown. He pointed presciently then to the vulnerability of major banks.
Contact Nathan Guttman at [email protected] or on Twitter @nathanguttman
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
