Rebekah Mercer is working to upend the party while getting its nominee elected
8 HOURS AGO
by: Mary Childs in New York
In the VIP section of what the Republican party planned as an election night celebration in 2012, big donors including Paul Singer watched the votes trickle in to determine whether Mitt Romney would unseat Barack Obama as US president.
A lesser known pair at the event — hedge fund manager Bob Mercer and his daughter Rebekah — had high hopes but it soon became clear Mr Romney was losing. When Fox News called Ohio for Mr Obama, top Romney operatives still insisted they had a chance. Republican strategist Karl Rove disputed the Ohio call on Fox — in vain.
“That was a moment of clarity for Rebekah Mercer,” said a person close to the family and to Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign. That night, he said, she realised that the cottage industry of consultants, donors and members of the media were all “phoney”.
“They’ve [squandered] $600m, $700m and we have nothing to show for it. She looked around, and she thought they were all fools, the whole lot of them.”
Hey Trump, you’re fired!