Presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump is slamming Politico for reporting that “Never Trump” establishment Republicans think they can pay Trump $150 million to drop out of the race, so that the billionaire is not the official GOP nominee.
“This story is a total fabrication from you and POLITICO, as usual,” Trump stated in an email to Politico. “I will never leave the race, nobody has enough money to pay me to leave the race, and if they did, it would be totally illegal anyway. Did Obama and the Clintons get you to write this garbage?”
Dallas Mavericks owner and businessman Mark Cuban, who has commented about Trump’s campaign, said he doesn’t think Trump can be bought out with $150 million.
“No chance,” Cuban stated, dismissing the idea.
Politico is reporting about the suggestion to buy Trump out after a former Trump advisor — who is unnamed — told Politico, “I bet if someone offered him $150 million to drop out, he would.”
Asked about whether Trump would drop, another former Trump adviser, Jim Dornan said he believes the presumptive GOP nominee would cut a deal. ‘Yeah, probably,’ Dornan, a veteran Republican operative who worked from Trump last spring on an abortive effort to set up a super PAC, replied via text message — adding there would be plenty of interest in buying him out. ‘The Kochs would be the first in line.’
Politico also points to a Tweet by anti-Trump Bill Kristol, who led the charge trying to get National Review writer David French to launch a third-party campaign, to support the $150 million dollar theory.
“Done. Dinner in NY Monday, private room at Daniel, reservation under name of @Reince. 15 billionaires, $10m each,” Kristol posted on Twitter, salivating over the hypothetical proposition.
Republican National Committee chairman Reince Priebus has repeatedly stated he’s supporting Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee.