http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/287165-republican-donors-increasingly-concerned-about-trumpJuly 10, 2016, 01:33 pm
GOP donors increasingly concerned about Trump: reportBy Rebecca Savransky
Republican donors, including members of the Republican Jewish Coalition, are voicing concern about giving to presumptive GOP nominee Donald Trump's campaign after some of his recent comments, according to The Wall Street Journal.
“I’m waiting for him to come forward as a statesman, and so far he hasn’t done it,” said Walter Stern, a longtime RJC board member and the vice chairman of a private equity firm, who hasn’t decided whether to give money to Trump.
Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks said the businessman has "continually disavowed any messages of hate and individuals that subscribe to that thinking."
She also said the billionaire "has been a great supporter of Israel and the Jewish community his entire life."
And some of the candidate's top fundraisers, including Republican National Committee finance chairman Lewis Eisenberg and billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson, are on RJC's board.
Still, some RJC board members who gave to Trump's former rivals are now turning their attention to congressional races.
The current roster of RJC board members in 2012 donated at least $16.5 million to GOP nominee Mitt Romney's campaign and super-PAC. Through May, the RJC members have only given $5,400 to Trump's campaign.“My sense is that he has a blind spot when it comes to recognizing how his comments or actions can offend people,” said Ari Fleischer, an RJC board member and former White House press secretary.
“He keeps making it harder for people who want to be for him to be for him.”
RJC members and Jewish activists have been critical of the candidate for not doing enough to build a relationship with the Jewish community and for failing to address what they say are the real issues at stake.
Trump came under fire earlier this month after tweeting an image of presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on top of $100 bills with a six-pointed star and the words "Most Corrupt Candidate Ever." Many said the image was anti-Semitic, and Trump's campaign removed the original tweet and replaced it with an image featuring a circle instead of a star. Still, Trump defended the tweet after it had been removed.
That tweet — and Trump's recent comments praising the late dictator Saddam Hussein for his handling of terrorists — have caused some donors to intensify their concerns about the candidate.
Dan Senor, a Defense Department official under former President George W. Bush, slammed Trump on Twitter for his comments about Hussein.
"NOTE TO TRUMP & RNC JEWISH DONORS: Tell DJT that Saddam paid death benefits to families of Palestinian suicide bombers slaughtering Israelis."
“The way that Trump treats and discusses foreign policy at best makes many donors feel unmotivated to help his campaign,” Senor told The Wall Street Journal.
“At worst, it is deeply offensive and will make [donors] in some cases want nothing to do with his campaign.”
