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Donald Trump’s inner circle is working to clean up the “mess” the former president created after he reportedly instructed an aide to send a string of angry text messages to a megadonor in the heat of an angry moment.
The former president has apparently engaged in some “erratic behavior” recently, according to New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman, in part due to the stress of the atypical presidential race.
That includes having his aide send texts to Miriam Adelson, the widow of casino tycoon Sheldon Adelson and eighth richest woman in the world, complaining that the super PAC she funds, which has poured millions of dollars into supporting Trump, was being run by RINOs – Republicans in name only.
“This caused a lot of concern that she was going to scale back her giving,” Haberman told CNN host Kaitlan Collins on Wednesday.
Haberman reported for The New York Times that Trump’s decision to rattle off angry messages at Adelson was partly encouraged by Ike Perlmutter, the former chairman of Marvel Entertainment and a Trump megadonor, who hoped Adelson would contribute to a super PAC he backs.
The Adelsons are longtime Republican donors and have heavily backed the former president in his previous elections.
In 2016, the Adelsons gave more than $20 million to Trump’s campaign and $5 million to his inauguration. Trump gave Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2018.
In 2020, the Adelsons contributed more than $90 million to Preserve America PAC, a super PAC that gave the Trump campaign $105 million.
“It’s a mess. And it’s a mess that Trump world would like to not be dealing with,” Haberman added.
The “mess” is reportedly a result of the stressful election cycle that saw President Joe Biden drop out nearly 100 days before election day and Vice President Kamala Harris replace him.
Haberman said the former president became accustomed to attacking Biden, the oldest president in U.S. history. But Harris’s entry into the race, and revitalized Democratic energy, has thrown Trump off his feet.
Trump is reportedly going to meet privately with Adelson on Thursday at his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey where he will also hold a rally.
Haberman said it seems the brief snafu has not impacted Adelson’s funding.
“But this is not a story that any candidate wants to be dealing with,” Haberman told Collins.
