GOP presidential candidate Donald J. Trump has received his first major newspaper endorsement from the Las Vegas Review-Journal, the biggest newspaper in Nevada.
Owned by Sheldon Adelson, the newspaper has a daily circulation of 98,000 and a Sunday distribution of about 119,000. The Las Vegas Review-Journal is considered the “go-to” news outlet for politicians hunting for voters in Nevada.
A number of smaller newspapers have also endorsed. But Adelson, who promised earlier in the year to endorse the GOP candidate, has kept Republicans holding their breath.
Back in May, Adelson told The Washington Post he would “strongly encourage my fellow Republicans – especially our Republican elected officials, party loyalists and operative, and those who provide important financial backing – to do the same… If Republicans do not come together in support of Trump, [President Barack] Obama will essentially be granted something the Constitution does not allow – a third term in the name of Hillary Clinton. I’ve spent time talking to Donald Trump. Do I agree with him on every issue? No. But it’s unlikely that any American agrees with his or her preferred candidate on every issue,” he said.
Since that time, however, Adelson has said little and pundits have been left wondering how committed to the Trump camp he really was. The weekend’s endorsement clarifies that position, and although Adelson and his wife are strong advocates for Israel, there is no mention of the Jewish State in the editorial.
The Las Vegas Review-Journal said in its endorsement, that “History tells us that agents for reform often generate fear and alarm among those intent on preserving their cushy sinecures. It’s hardly a shock, then, that the 2016 campaign has produced a barrage of unceasing vitriol directed toward Mr. Trump. But let us not be distracted by the social media sideshows and carnival clatter…
“The past eight years have pushed us $20 trillion into debt, obligations that will burden our children and grandchildren. The nation’s economy sputters under the growing weight of federal edicts and regulations that smother growth and innovation. Obamacare threatens to crash and burn. The middle class struggles. An administration promising hope and unity instead brought division.
“Yet Hillary Clinton promises to lead us down the same path. She’ll cuddle up to the ways and perks of Washington like she would to a cozy old blanket.”
The Republican candidate, wrote the editorial board, “brings a corporate sensibility and a steadfast determination to an ossified Beltway culture. He advocates for lower taxes and a simplified tax code, in contrast to his opponent’s plan to extract another $1 trillion from the private economy in order to enlarge the bureaucracy. Mr. Trump understands and appreciates the conditions that lead to prosperity and job creation and would be a friend to small business and entrepreneurship. Mrs. Clinton has spent most of her adult life on the public payroll.
“Of particular importance is the U.S. Supreme Court. The next president may be charged with filling multiple vacancies, shaping the court’s direction for a generation. Mr. Trump prefers nominees who recognize the Constitution’s checks on federal authority as a bulwark against tyranny. Mrs. Clinton would be a disaster in this regard.”
The newspaper bluntly goes on to acknowledge that Donald Trump is no angel, nor is he the suave expert in political presentation that might have won him vastly more friends – or votes – on the campaign trail, had he taken the trouble to do something about all those rough edges his handlers struggle with.
“Yes, Mr. Trump’s impulsiveness and overheated rhetoric alienate many voters. He has trouble dealing with critics and would be wise to discover the power of humility,” notes the editorial board.”
“But neither candidate will ever be called to the dais to accept an award for moral probity and character. And we are already distressingly familiar with the Clinton way, which involves turning public service into an orgy of influence peddling and entitlement designed to line their own pockets — precisely what a disgruntled electorate now rises up to protest.
“Mr. Trump represents neither the danger his critics claim nor the magic elixir many of his supporters crave. But he promises to be a source of disruption and discomfort to the privileged, back-scratching political elites for whom the nation’s strength and solvency have become subservient to power’s pursuit and preservation.
“Donald Trump for president,” the editorial board states, simply.
Click here to read the entire endorsement.