Trump on Adelson: ‘Good paper, owned by a great guy’

The Seventh Eye By The Seventh Eye October 14, 2016 | Edit

Donald Trump lays the compliments on Sheldon Adelson, the Netanyahu backer who recently pledged his support for the Republican nominee. But Trump hasn’t always had nice things to say about Adelson and his money.

By Shuki Tausig

At rally in Nevada last week, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump mentioned Sheldon Adelson, the American casino mogul and patron of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu.

“Did you read that in your good paper? Good paper, owned by a great guy — Sheldon, Sheldon, Sheldon Adelson,” Trump as part of an attack on the Affordable Care Act, Barack Obama’s flagship healthcare program.

The “great paper” he referred to is the Las Vegas Review Journal, the largest newspaper in Nevada, which Adelson anonymously purchased last year. The identity of the purchaser was only revealed through investigative journalism by the paper’s reporters, who found that he paid significantly more than market value.

The paper’s journalists went on to write a series of articles critical of Adelson and the new ownership’s attempts to influence the editorial line. That is, until its top editors and writers were replaced and the critical voices were silenced.

Back at the rally last week, Trump made sure to note that Adelson is a “big supporter of Israel.” Perhaps the largest donor to Republican political campaigns this season (though he has given far less than the $100 million he donated in the 2012 campaign), Adelson sat on the fence in the current election until he announced his support for Trump in May.

A few weeks ago, Adelson pledged $25 million to a Super PAC supporting Trump, according to The Guardian. In Israel, Adelson’s newspaper Israel Hayom provides favorable coverage of the Republican presidential candidate.

Trump, for his part, has held numerous positions on Israel during the campaign, not all of which have sat well with Adelson’s views, the most memorable of which was when he said Washington should be neutral toward Israel.

It is worth noting that Trump did not always think of Adelson as a “great guy.” When the casino mogul had pledged support for Republican rival Marco Rubio’s campaign in October 2015, Trump tweeted: “Sheldon Adelson is looking to give big dollars to Rubio because he feels he can mold him into his perfect little puppet. I agree!”

Newsletter banner

The Seventh Eye

The Seventh Eye is Israel’s only independent media watchdog. Established in 1996, today it publishes daily media reviews, articles, op-eds, and investigative reporting aimed at exposing unacceptable journalistic practices, foreign interests in Israeli media, censorship and self-censorship, discrimination, and racism. The site’s writers follow and document progress in the Israeli media world, from a resurgence of journalists’ unions to exposing hidden ‘advertorial’ content, all with an aim of encouraging independent, fair and unbiased journalism.

End of article module for Members

TEST TEST GAL Our team has been devastated by the horrific events of this latest war. The world is reeling from Israel’s unprecedented onslaught on Gaza, inflicting mass devastation and death upon besieged Palestinians, as well as the atrocious attack and kidnappings by Hamas in Israel on October 7. Our hearts are with all the people and communities facing this violence.    We are in an extraordinarily dangerous era in Israel-Palestine. The bloodshed has reached extreme levels of brutality and threatens to engulf the entire region. Emboldened settlers in the West Bank, backed by the army, are seizing the opportunity to intensify their attacks on Palestinians. The most far-right government in Israel’s history is ramping up its policing of dissent, using the cover of war to silence Palestinian citizens and left-wing Jews who object to its policies.   This escalation has a very clear context, one that +972 has spent the past 14 years covering: Israeli society’s growing racism and militarism, entrenched occupation and apartheid, and a normalized siege on Gaza.   We are well positioned to cover this perilous moment – but we need your help to do it. This terrible period will challenge the humanity of all of those working for a better future in this land. Palestinians and Israelis are already organizing and strategizing to put up the fight of their lives.   Can we count on your support? +972 Magazine is a leading media voice of this movement, a desperately needed platform where Palestinian and Israeli journalists, activists, and thinkers can report on and analyze what is happening, guided by humanism, equality, and justice. Join us.

Make a Donation