Did Jewish Casino Tycoon Influence Trump's 'Jerusalem Decision'?

The American billionaire - Las Vegas entertainment and casino mogul, is said to have influenced President Donald Trump to make the decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson and President Donald Trump - Photo: AFP

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson - a leading donor to the Republican Party in the US, is said to be the one who convinced President Donald Trump to decide to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and move the US Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.

According to the New York Times (NYT), President Trump made the decision that is causing much anger around the world after dinner at the White House with the owner of the famous Venetian casino in Las Vegas.

American media confirms that billionaire Sheldon Adelson - owner of Las Vegas Sands Corporation, is an influential figure in the right wing in the US and in Israel.

Rise from poverty

But strangely enough, billionaire Sheldon Adelson, 84, like his parents and most Jewish Americans, is a Democrat. Journalist Ron Kampeas, one of the few journalists to have had the opportunity to interview Sheldon Adelson, recounted the following:

"He came from a working-class background. His father was a Lithuanian who left the country before the war and worked as a taxi driver in Boston. Adelson was born in Boston. His mother worked as a seamstress at home."

Sheldon Adelson himself started life by doing all kinds of jobs to make a living, even working as a journalist in the stock market.

Since high school, Adelson had to earn his own money by selling newspapers and opening a small candy store. He dropped out of college, tried his hand at business, joined the army, then left the army and worked as an assistant for several large and small companies in the US.

Adelson once worked in advertising and investment consulting before building a small investment fund worth about $5 million by the age of 30.

He made his first millions through the Salons professionnels organization, from which he bought a casino in Las Vegas, in the early 1990s.

Because he knew the current situation, Sheldon Adelson joined hands with the Beijing government to establish the world's largest casino in Macau. It is said that Sheldon Adelson became a billionaire after this deal.

In its latest ranking, Forbes magazine estimated Sheldon Adelson's fortune at around $37 billion, ranking 14th in the world. That amount of money is said to be enough for him to influence politicians.

Political influence from wife

Journalist Ron Kampeas also noted: "His passion for politics and the right wing was clearly influenced by his second wife, Dr. Miriam, who was born in 1946 in what was then British-administered Palestine."

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson, 84 years old, is said to be a man who became rich from nothing - Photo: AFP

It is reported that Miriam encouraged her husband to set up academic foundations in Israel and the US. Also following his wife's advice, billionaire Sheldon Adelson began to side with the right wing of Israel's Likud party.

In 1996, Sheldon Adelson funded Benjamin Netanyahu's election campaign to help him win the position of Israeli Prime Minister over candidate Shimon Peres.

It was also billionaire Sheldon Adelson who funded the creation of the free newspaper "Israel Hayom" ("Israel Today"), which vigorously promoted Bibi's (Netanyahu's nickname) line. Israel Hayom is now Israel's leading daily newspaper.

Billionaire Sheldon Adelson has only recently entered American politics. In 2008, he spent tens of millions of dollars of his own money on the Republican Party in hopes of defeating Democratic candidate Barack Obama.

Four years later, he is back at it with the Republicans. It is reported that Sheldon Adelson spent more than $100 million to prevent Obama from winning a second term.

Those in the know say that thanks to his financial generosity, billionaire Sheldon Adelson is making waves in the Republican Party, including, of course, shaping US policy toward Israel.

Candidate Donald Trump is said to have sought funding from the generous billionaire since the beginning of his campaign but was unsuccessful. Although Mr. Trump once announced that he would reverse the recognition of Jerusalem if he won the election, billionaire Sheldon Adelston only really invested money after Mr. Trump won the Republican primary.

And he did: he gave $25 million to Trump’s campaign and another $5 million to his inauguration in January. With more money invested than any other individual, it’s hard not to speculate about the influence billionaire Sheldon Adelson has on Trump’s policies.

It is reported that billionaire Sheldon Adelson was disappointed that Mr. Trump did not quickly fulfill his promise regarding the status of Jerusalem after taking office, so he complained to the US leader.

During a White House dinner last October, there was speculation that Sheldon Adelson had pressured President Donald Trump by threatening to withhold funding from his 2020 re-election campaign.

Or maybe billionaire Sheldon Adelson convinced the billionaire President that given the growing closeness between Israel and Saudi Arabia, it was time to make a "Jerusalem decision."

According to tuoitre.vn