Sheldon Adelson to have dinner with Trump, adviser says

Sheldon and Miriam Adelson attend the first presidential debate at Hofstra University in Hempstead, N.Y., on Sept. 26. (Paul J. Richards/AFP/Getty Images)

Republican financier Sheldon Adelson will dine with President Trump on Thursday night at the White House, according to a Trump adviser who was not authorized to speak publicly.

Other White House officials and Trump associates are also expected to attend the dinner, the adviser said.

Adelson, who has an estimated net worth of $29.6 billion, and his wife, Miriam, were major Trump donors last year, and continue to have a close relationship with the president. The couple gave a total of more than $21.2 million to Trump's cause, contributing to several organizations, including Trump’s campaign, Republican committees and a pro-Trump super PAC, according to federal finance disclosures. 

They also donated $1.5 million to fund festivities for the Republican National Convention. It’s possible that the Adelsons contributed additional money to politically active nonprofits that do not disclosure their contributors.

Adelson met with Trump privately at Trump Tower in New York in the weeks before the inauguration. Last month, the Adelsons attended the inauguration and sat in prime seats that were just steps from the president on the dais. They later joined Trump at an exclusive lunch with congressional leaders at the U.S. Capitol, seated at the same table with White House counselor Kellyanne Conway and former House speaker John A. Boehner. Throughout the inaugural weekend, Trump lavished praise on the Adelsons at events and singled them out for their support.

In one of the last acts of the Obama administration, the Justice Department announced that Adelson’s casino company, Las Vegas Sands, had agreed to pay nearly $7 million to end a five-year probe of alleged corrupt practices related to the corporation’s former relationship with a consultant in Macao and China.

A spokesman for Adelson declined to comment on the dinner plans.

Adelson’s warm relations with the White House extend beyond Trump. On Feb. 24, Vice President Pence will speak at a national leadership meeting in Las Vegas for the Republican Jewish Coalition, a group that is funded in part by the Adelsons.

Matea Gold contributed to this report.