It was not hard for Politico and others to quickly conclude that Jeb Bush was telling the truth when he accused Donald Trump making big political contributions to him in hopes the Florida governor would support his bid to open a gambling casino in the Sunshine State.
While Trump insisted Bush's claim was "totally false," old news reports and people involved in the effort over the past two decades suggest it is totally true.
Trump told the Miami Herald in 1994, just before Florida voters rejected a referendum that would have allowed casino gambling: "As somebody who lives in Palm Beach, I'd prefer not to see casinos in Florida. But as someone in the gaming business, I'm going to be the first one to open up if Floridians vote for them."
CNN reports that Trump hosted a $500,000 fundraiser for his gubernatorial campaign in 1997 and made a $50,000 donation to the Florida Republican Party in 1998.
Bush and his operatives blocked Trump's gambling ambitions despite the money, but the next governor, Charlie Crist, did make way for casinos in the state, CNN reported. None of the 15 Florida casinos belong to Trump.
One of them is Seminole Hard Rock & Casino near Fort Lauderdale. Trump had teamed with the Seminoles tribe in his earlier effort.
But the billionaire developer was still pushing for a casino license after he bought the Doral Golf Resort & Spa near Miami, according to a 2013 Miami Herald article.
"If Miami doesn't do casinos, that would be a terrible mistake," Trump is quoted telling the newspaper. "Taxes would be able to be reduced substantially and Miami is the only place that Las Vegas is really concerned about--in the United States."
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