Billionaire Sheldon Adelson is planning on spending $45 million to help the GOP, including at least $5 million to help Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, over the final six weeks of the election, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Adelson’s planned donation will make him the largest donor of the election cycle, despite falling short of the $100 million that was rumored during the Republican primaries. The WSJ reported that Adelson and Trump have met twice in recent weeks, including at a fundraiser hosted by casino owner Phil Ruffin.
Adelson is an important figure behind the scenes for the Republican Party. The controversial billionaire and his wife, Miriam, spent more than $92 million supporting the GOP during the 2012 elections, according to the Washington Post. He was so disappointed by Ted Cruz’s speech at the Republican convention, during which Cruz did not endorse Trump, that he refused to let the Texas senator enter his donor suite.
Adelson also gave $20 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a super PAC headed by a former aide to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, according to the WSJ.
Adelson spent close to $100 on Republican causes in 2012, according to the WSJ.
Adelson, who owns the Las Vegas Review-Journal, has been in the news a lot throughout 2016. The Review-Journal has been clouded with controversy since Adelson secretly purchased it last year. Dozens of reporters have left the company or threatened to do so. The billionaire has also been accused of meddling around the paper’s decision-making when it comes to news judgement, but he has denied those claims.