Posted on: September 26, 2024, 09:17h.
Last updated on: September 26, 2024, 09:56h.
Former casino magnate Steve Wynn reportedly told former President Donald Trump that his 2024 campaign messaging has veered off course.
Politico reports that Wynn, 82, recently met with Trump, 78. Trump owned casinos in Atlantic City and Indiana during his real estate career and forged a close relationship with the Las Vegas magnate who helped turn the Strip into a luxury resort destination.
During that meeting, Wynn is said to have told Trump that his pomposity in the wake of his first assassination attempt and wild remarks about illegal Haitians eating pets in an Ohio town isn’t helping his campaign. The man who developed Las Vegas’ Bellagio, Golden Nugget, Mirage, Treasure Island, Wynn, and Encore reportedly told Trump to tone down his messaging and get back to discussing his policy positions compared to Vice President Kamala Harris’.
Wynn told Politico that the political news outlet’s reporting was “inaccurate” but didn’t comment further.
Longtime Ally
Wynn has been a strong Trump supporter since the billionaire announced his 2016 run. Wynn served as the finance chair of the Republican National Committee in 2017 and 2018, and worked as a vice chair of Trump’s 2016 inauguration committee.
Wynn gave $1.5 million to Trump’s 2020 campaign while Wynn Resorts contributed $729K to Trump’s Make America Great Again! Welcome Celebration where country music stars like Toby Keith and Lee Greenwood performed at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC.
Wynn is again supporting his friend’s White House bid, however, he hopes Trump heeds his advice in sticking to policy talking points during the home stretch of the 2024 campaign.
Insiders close to Trump told Politico that the Democrats swapping of President Joe Biden with Harris angered Trump and has possibly propelled the former president into bringing up several conspiracy theories he believes, including that the Democrats stole the 2016 election.
The latest polling and political betting markets see a neck-and-neck race. The latest 2024 odds have Harris a slight favorite at 4/5 (-125) and Trump at even money (+100).
Political peer-to-peer wagering exchanges give Harris a 50% implied chance of winning to Trump at 49%. Harris’ lead on Polymarket has shrunk recently as total wagers on the 2024 contest eclipsed the $1 billion mark.
Wynn’s Donations
Steve Wynn, the founder of Wynn Resorts, was pushed out of his namesake company in 2018 amid sexual misconduct allegations — claims he has consistently denied and has never been found guilty of in a court of law. Since exiting the gaming industry, Wynn has relocated to Florida’s East Coast where he’s dabbled in flipping mansions.
Wynn also remains active in politics. According to campaign finance records, Wynn in April gave $285,100 to the Grow the Majority super PAC, an organization focused on increasing Republican seats in the US House of Representatives. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-Louisiana) formed the committee last year.
Though Wynn has cut dozens of checks to Republican gubernatorial and congressional candidates this year, he hasn’t yet made a meaningful contribution to Trump’s campaign.
