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Republican billionaire donor Sheldon Adelson reportedly cautioned Trump that trade war with China could hurt re-election prospects

  • Adelson, a casino magnate, is said to have discussed the broader implications of the US-China trade war in a phone call with Trump last month

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US casino magnate Sheldon Adelson before a presidential debate in 2016. Photo: EPA

A top Republican donor warned US President Donald Trump in a phone call last month that his escalating trade war with China could hurt his re-election prospects, The Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people familiar with the call.

Casino magnate Sheldon Adelson discussed with Trump the broader implications of the US-China trade war rather than the impact on Adelson’s business interests, one of the people familiar with the call said, according to the newspaper report.

Adelson, a billionaire and a major donor for Republican election campaigns, is the founder and chief executive officer of Las Vegas Sands Corp, a casino company that does business in the Chinese territory of Macau.

The White House did not have an immediate comment on the report. A representative of Las Vegas Sands Corp did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Adelson at US President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017. Photo: Washington Post
Adelson at US President Donald Trump's inauguration in 2017. Photo: Washington Post

US-China trade tensions have led to tariffs on much of the commerce between the world’s two biggest economies, hitting US factories and farms.

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