As reported by Fox News, Donald Trump lied about not wanting to build a casino in Florida.
Public records show in 1997 Trump hosted an expensive fundraiser for then-gubernatorial candidate Jeb Bush and his company gave a lot of money to the state GOP. According to local reports, Trump was also teaming up with the Seminole tribe to push for casino gambling in the Sunshine State.During the debate Jeb Bush accused Trump of wanting to build a casino in Florida. He said:
The one guy that had some special interests that I know of that tried to get me to change my views on something — that was generous and gave me money — was Donald Trump. He wanted casino gambling in Florida.
Do you think the 2nd Amendment will be destroyed by the Biden Administration?(2)
Trump responded:
He then stated if he wanted a casino in Florida he would have got it.Totally false.
This 1998 story published by the then St. Petersburg Times talks about how Trump wanted to build a casino in Florida.
During that time Trump and his company was throwing a lot of money at Bush and the Republican Party of Florida. Trump Hotels & Casino Resorts gave $50,000 to the state party that year and hosted several fundraisers for Bush.
When the idea of building a casino in Florida reached Tallahassee, then Governor Jeb Bush did not allow it and that was it. Donald Trump stopped pressing the issue.