DALLAS — Miriam Adelson, the billionaire owner of the Dallas Mavericks and the casino company Las Vegas Sands, is planning to donate as much as $100 million to the 2024 presidential campaign of former President Donald Trump through her super PAC, Preserve America, the New York Times reported this week.
Adelson -- an Israeli, a passionate Zionist and the fifth-richest woman in the world -- has dined with Trump a half dozen times over 2023 and 2024, with much discussion centering around Israeli policy and one other's families, according to the report.
Republican strategist Dave Carney, who Adelson tapped to lead the her Preserve America super PAC, told the Times he planned to spend Adelson's $100 million support for Trump on TV or digital campaigns focused on three or four to-be-determined states.
“Up until recently, there’s been 100% spending from the Biden side and 0% from the Trump side,” Carney told the Times. “We will definitely be heard. They will probably spend more money, because they already have a huge head start. But we’re starting the game tied.”
The relationship between the Adelsons and Trump dates back to 2015 when Miriam and her late husband Sheldon first sat down with the future president, the Times reported. In that first meeting, the Adelsons pressed Trump on moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, which he eventually followed through on. Trump later awarded Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.
In 2020, the Adelsons were the largest donors to Trump's unsuccessful reelection campaign, spending some $75 million in the effort.
Just two years earlier, in 2018, the couple was reported to have spent $113 million in support of Republican causes during the mid-term elections.
The Adelsons also donated $20 million to Trump's original presidential campaign in 2016 after originally throwing their support behind Sen. Marco Rubio of Florida -- a move Trump openly mocked until the Adelsons switched their support to him.
In a 2019 opinion piece written by Adelson for the Israel Hayom, the Israeli daily newspaper she owns, she compared Trump to heroes, sages and prophets written about in the Bible.
"Would it be too much to pray for a day when the Bible gets a 'Book of Trump,' much like it has a 'Book of Esther' celebrating the deliverance of the Jews from ancient Persia?" Adelson wrote.
Trump is not the only politician Adelson has thrown millions to this election season. Just last week, it was revealed she had donated $1 million to the Truth and Courage PAC, which is supporting the re-election of Sen. Ted Cruz. Ahead of the March primary, Adelson gave $4.1 million to the Texas Sands PAC, which supported the campaigns of Republican candidates across Texas, including North Texas-area Reps. Frederick Frazier and Justin Holland — who both lost decisively in a May runoff.
Adelson also cut a $9 million check for the Texas Defense PAC ahead of the May runoffs -- which led to similarly mixed results for the candidates it supported.
Adelson's political profile has grown greatly in Texas since she and her family purchased the Mavericks last year from Mark Cuban, and she began increasing her push for legalized gambling in the state, along with a new casino resort in DFW.
"I think the most important thing is that Las Vegas Sands is actively trying to facilitate the development of integrated resorts in the State of Texas and through the liberalization of gaming," Las Vegas Sands Corp. President and Chief Operating Officer Patrick Dumont, Adelson's son-in-law, said during an investor call in January. "Over time, we hope that it happens. I can’t tell you when it’s going to be, but we’re very focused on it as a company, and we like the opportunity to develop some very unique tourism assets, specifically in Dallas."
