During a speech at the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, celebrating the Gaza ceasefire deal, US President Donald Trump praised diplomats, military leaders, and regional partners who helped broker the agreement. Among those singled out was Miriam Adelson, a long-time Republican mega-donor known for her strong pro-Israel stance.
Trump lauded her as someone who “loves Israel,” noting that she has “$60 billion in her account.” Gesturing toward her in the gallery, he joked, “Look at her sitting there so innocently. I once asked her, ‘Miriam, what do you love more — the United States or Israel?’ She refused to answer. That might be an issue,” prompting light laughter in the chamber.
Adelson, a Las Vegas casino magnate, donated more than $100 million to Preserve America, a super PAC that helped Trump secure victory in the 2024 US presidential election. On Monday, she received a standing ovation as Trump acknowledged her “many trips to the White House” and long-standing support for Israel.
From Physician to Political Power Player
Born in Tel Aviv in 1945 to Polish immigrant parents, Miriam Adelson trained as a physician specializing in addiction treatment. Her life took a dramatic turn after she married Sheldon Adelson in 1991 — a self-made billionaire who built the Las Vegas Sands empire with casinos across the US and Asia.
Following Sheldon’s death in 2021, Miriam inherited majority control of the company, which later sold its Las Vegas properties for $6.25 billion in 2022. The following year, she became the majority owner of the Dallas Mavericks NBA team.
The Adelsons were among the Republican Party’s largest donors, contributing hundreds of millions of dollars to pro-Israel candidates and conservative causes.
Influencing US-Israel Policy
Trump often credits the Adelsons with influencing his administration’s Israel policy. “Miriam and Sheldon would come into the Oval Office — I think they had more trips to the White House than anyone else,” he remarked during his Knesset address.
The couple’s close relationship with Trump helped shape major policy moves during his first term, including the US Embassy’s relocation to Jerusalem in 2018 and the recognition of Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights. That same year, Trump awarded Miriam Adelson the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Their influence within conservative circles remains significant. Since 2015, the Adelsons have contributed more than $600 million to Trump’s campaigns and other Republican efforts.
Hardline Views and Media Influence
In the wake of the October 7 attacks, Adelson’s rhetoric hardened. Writing in Israel Hayom — the newspaper she owns — she condemned Israel’s critics worldwide, declaring that “foreign fans of Hamas are our enemies … they should be dead to us.”
She also voiced strong support for Trump’s reelection bid. At a campaign event in September, she told Jewish voters they had a “sacred duty” to back Trump “in gratitude for everything he has done and trust in everything he will yet do.”
Adelson has likewise supported crackdowns on pro-Palestine campus protests, describing demonstrators in Forbes Israel as “ghastly gatherings of radical Muslim and Black Lives Matter activists, ultra-progressives, and career agitators.”
A Lasting Political Legacy
From her beginnings as a physician to her current role as one of the most influential Republican donors, Miriam Adelson has become a defining force in the intersection of US and Israeli politics. Her wealth, political influence, and unwavering Zionist beliefs continue to shape policy discussions in both Washington and Jerusalem.
Leave a Reply