During the third quarter, Dr. Miriam Adelson donated $95 million to a super political action committee (PAC) focused on former President Donald Trump’s 2024 bid.
A recent filing with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) indicates that Adelson, the widow of Las Vegas Sands chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson, made four contributions to the Preserve America PAC totaling $95 million between July and September. Initially, after funding the Republican Convention in Milwaukee in July, Adelson contributed $25 million to Preserve America on July 26. This was followed by another $25 million donation on August 13. Adelson, 78, donated an additional $25 million on September 9 and another $20 million eight days later.
These four transactions bring Adelson’s year-to-date contributions to Preserve America to $100 million, making up the bulk of the third-quarter donations to the PAC, which aims to spend close to $115 million on television advertisements to support Trump’s 2024 election effort.
On Monday, the Las Vegas Review-Journal, owned by the Adelson family since 2015, endorsed Trump. This endorsement, alongside Adelson’s substantial financial contributions, comes as betting markets show improving odds for Trump reclaiming the White House next month. Current odds on Polymarket suggest Trump has a 58.7% chance of winning compared to 41% for Democrat nominee Vice President Kamala Harris. These are the best odds Trump has seen since July, though national polling suggests Harris holds a modest lead. Polymarket, which utilizes the Polygon cryptocurrency based on the Ethereum blockchain, is not accessible to US bettors, but rival prediction markets also favor Trump.
Adelson, the largest individual shareholder in Sands and majority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks, is fulfilling her promise to support Trump’s bid for a second term. Earlier this year, she committed to being a major benefactor of Preserve America, a promise she has kept. Her significant financial backing is not surprising given her previous donations. In 2020, she and her late husband donated $90 million to the PAC, and during the 2016 presidential race, the couple were Trump’s biggest donors.
Adelson’s support is rooted in a well-documented history with Trump, largely due to his backing of Israel and the controversial decision to move the US embassy to Jerusalem. In 2018, Trump awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom.