Sheldon Adelson Open To Supporting Trump As GOP Nominee: ‘Why Not?’

FILE - In this May 5, 2015, file photo, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson testifies in court in Las Vegas. The family of billionaire casino mogul Adelson confirmed in a statement to the Las Vegas... FILE - In this May 5, 2015, file photo, Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson testifies in court in Las Vegas. The family of billionaire casino mogul Adelson confirmed in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that they are the new owners of Nevada's largest newspaper, ending a week of speculation and demands by staff and politicians to know the identity of the new boss. (AP Photo/John Locher, File) MORE LESS
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Casino magnate and GOP megadonor Sheldon Adelson has no problem supporting Donald Trump if he becomes the party’s nominee.

“Trump is a businessman. I am a businessman. He employs a lot of people. I employed 50,000 people. Why not?” Adelson said in February, in comments first reported by Israeli blogger Tal Schneider and surfaced Wednesday by Politico.

Adelson made the remarks at a Las Vegas gala honoring former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, according to Schneider.

Trump owns casino properties in both Las Vegas and Atlantic City, New Jersey.

He met with Adelson ahead of December’s Republican presidential debate in Las Vegas, after mocking former rival Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) for being an ideal “little puppet” for the GOP donor. Adelson told Reuters that he found Trump “very charming” in their meeting and said the key characteristic he was looking for in a candidate is someone who would “be able to win.”

At the time, Adelson promised to support the eventual Republican nominee regardless of who it happened to be.

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