Republican megadonor Sheldon Adelson has officially endorsed Donald Trump as the presumptive GOP presidential nominee, and says the New York billionaire is preferable to the likely Democratic alternative, Hillary Clinton.
“I am endorsing Trump’s bid for president and strongly encourage my fellow Republicans — especially our Republican elected officials, party loyalists and operatives, and those who provide important financial backing — to do the same,” the casino mogul wrote in an op-ed for the Washington Post.
“The alternative to anyone but Trump becoming the 45th president is frightening,” he added.
According to Adelson, the GOP must unify behind Trump ahead of the general election in order to prevent President Obama from securing “a third term in the name of Hillary Clinton.”
Though he remains in disagreement with Trump on a handful of topics, Adelson suggested “it’s unlikely that any American agrees with his or her preferred candidate on every issue.”
“You may not like Trump’s style or what he says on Twitter, but this country needs strong executive leadership more today than at almost any point in its history,” he wrote. “Trump has created a movement in this country that cannot be denied. He will end this primary election cycle having garnered more Republican primary votes for president than anyone before.”
As part of his outreach to a number of Republican White House hopefuls, Adelson and Trump met last December to discuss the billionaire’s campaign. The leading Jewish Republican described Trump as “charming” after their meeting, but declined to endorse at the time.
