Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to woo big campaign donors Sheldon Adelson, Paul Singer and the Koch brothers — and he has stepped up his attacks in recent weeks after they pledged support to his rivals.
Quoting unnamed sources familiar with the various actions,
Politico reported Wednesday that Trump has tried to court the donors by playing up his support of Israel — among other attributes — in efforts before and in the earlier stages of his campaign.
The actions fly in the face of Trump's assertions that he is financing his own White House run, according to Politico.
For instance, Trump sought to attract Adelson, owner of the Las Vegas Sands Corp. and strong Israel backer, before announcing his candidacy in June by making a personal phone call in hopes of having a meeting in Nevada.
"We had really tried to promote Trump as pro-Israel," one source told Politico. "He’s always wanted Adelson money."
But the casino magnate later backed out, and Trump slammed Adelson on Twitter after reports surfaced last month that
he was leaning toward Marco Rubio.
Similar patterns occurred with billionaires Singer, the New York hedge fund manager, and Charles and David Koch, the Kansas-based industrialists, Politico reports.
Singer has also said that he would back Rubio, while the Koch brothers have not yet endorsed a candidate.
A Trump campaign official did not return a request for comment, according to Politico. Neither did representatives for Adelson, Singer, or the Koch brothers.
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