Billionaire Donald Trump tells crowds at every campaign rally he is a “businessman, not a politician.”
The theme song to his hit reality TV show The Apprentice was For The Love Of Money. (Money, money, money, moneyyyyyyy)
So it should not surprise anyone when a few of his former advisors say Trump could be convinced to give up the Republican presidential nomination if he is offered enough cash.
“I bet if someone offered him $150 million to drop out, he would,” one former Trump adviser told POLITICO, unprompted, during an interview Friday.
Another former advisor, Jim Dornan, said, “yeah, probably” when asked if Trump would cut a deal. He added the billionaire Koch brothers, who say they will not back Trump, “would be the first in line.”
Will polls showing Trump behind Hillary Clinton nationally by double digits, a growing list of Republicans who won’t back him (including the last two Republican presidents), and the reality that Trump is discovering the vetting process could do more harm than good to his businesses, it makes sense he would entertain a cash offer for the nomination.
Some conservatives, like Bill Kristol of the Weekly Standard, love the idea.
Done. Dinner in NY Monday, private room at Daniel, reservation under name of @Reince. 15 billionaires, $10m each. https://t.co/riAPnNWcD0
— Bill Kristol (@BillKristol) June 17, 2016
Trump, through a spokesman, said there is not enough money to make him drop out. But Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban disagreed, saying everyone has a price.
“$150 million wouldn’t do it, but $5 billion would,” said Cuban.