This Vegas Billionaire Is A Money Man In Trump's Inner Circle

Forbes

In August 2020, as the novel coronavirus was blazing across an unvaccinated United States, Don Ahern’s Las Vegas hotel hosted the event Evangelicals For Trump, despite previously being scolded by state authorities for staging a beauty pageant. Nevada fined Ahern $10,930 for violating the governor’s executive orders banning mass gatherings.  Undeterred, Ahern hosted a Trump campaign rally the next month at a warehouse he owns in the nearby city of Henderson; the city’s officials promptly fined Ahern $3,000. “I believe that it is my patriotic duty to do what is right for our country, and what is right is supporting President Donald J. Trump,” a bespectacled, mild-mannered Ahern explained at a press conference after the rally.  Read the full story on Forbes: https://www.forbes.com/sites/johnhyatt/2024/05/29/this-key-trump-money-man-don-ahern-is-a-little-known-vegas-billionaire/?sh=1f8d47a45149  Subscribe to FORBES: https://www.youtube.com/user/Forbes?sub_confirmation=1  Fuel your success with Forbes. Gain unlimited access to premium journalism, including breaking news, groundbreaking in-depth reported stories, daily digests and more. Plus, members get a front-row seat at members-only events with leading thinkers and doers, access to premium video that can help you get ahead, an ad-light experience, early access to select products including NFT drops and more:  https://account.forbes.com/membership/?utm_source=youtube&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=growth_non-sub_paid_subscribe_ytdescript  Stay Connected Forbes newsletters: https://newsletters.editorial.forbes.com Forbes on Facebook: http://fb.com/forbes Forbes Video on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/forbes Forbes Video on Instagram: http://instagram.com/forbes More From Forbes:  http://forbes.com  Forbes covers the intersection of entrepreneurship, wealth, technology, business and lifestyle with a focus on people and success.

Transcript

00:00Here's your Forbes Daily Briefing for Monday, June 3rd.

00:05Today on Forbes, this key Trump money man is a little-known Vegas billionaire.

00:12In August 2020, as the novel coronavirus was blazing across an unvaccinated United States,

00:18Don Ahern's Las Vegas hotel hosted the event Evangelicals for Trump, despite previously

00:25being scolded by state authorities for staging a beauty pageant.

00:29Nevada fined Ahern $10,930 for violating the governor's executive orders banning mass gatherings.

00:37Undeterred, Ahern hosted a Trump campaign rally the next month at a warehouse he owns

00:42in the nearby city of Henderson.

00:44The city's officials promptly fined Ahern $3,000.

00:48At a press conference after the rally, the bespeckled, mild-mannered Ahern explained,

00:52quote, I believe that it is my patriotic duty to do what is right for our country, and what

00:57is right is supporting President Donald J. Trump.

01:01Few outside Nevada and the construction industry have heard of Don Ahern, who made his estimated

01:06$1 billion fortune renting out construction equipment like tell handlers and forklifts.

01:12Ahern, who is apparently, quote, shy, according to his longtime consultant George Harris,

01:18didn't comment on his net worth or sit for an interview for this story.

01:23But Ahern's embrace of MAGA politics and influence in a key swing state has raised

01:27his national profile.

01:29This Saturday, June 8th, Ahern is scheduled to host a high-dollar Trump fundraiser at

01:34his hotel.

01:36Politico reported earlier this year that Ahern had committed to making a big donation to

01:40Trump's 2024 campaign.

01:42He donated $1.25 million to two Trump PACs in 2021.

01:48Ahern certainly has the cash.

01:50In late 2022, he sold his company, Ahern Rentals, for $2 billion to publicly traded

01:57United Rentals, pocketing an estimated $600 million after taxes and paying down debts.

02:04Ahern also still owns Xtreme Manufacturing, which makes heavy-duty construction equipment

02:08like lifts and telehandlers.

02:10He also owns a 51% stake in the company Snorkel, which makes aerial work platforms.

02:17But Ahern's prized asset, politically speaking, is his hotel.

02:21Previously named the Lucky Dragon, Ahern bought the property out of bankruptcy for $36 million

02:27in 2019 and converted its casino into a convention center.

02:32Located off the Strip between a Strip Mall steakhouse and a high-rise condominium, the

02:36Ahern Luxury Boutique Hotel, as it's called now, has become a go-to venue for state and

02:41national conservatives.

02:44The Clark County Republican Party — that is, the GOP apparatus for Nevada's largest

02:48county comprising roughly 2.3 million people — regularly throws events at the Ahern.

02:55The hotel hosts monthly meetings for the Nevada Republican Club and the Las Vegas Conservative

02:59Town Hall Group.

03:01In April, former Trump adviser Steve Bannon, who was convicted last year on two counts

03:05of contempt of Congress for defying a subpoena from the January 6th House Select Committee,

03:10staged a five-hour event at the Ahern Hotel.

03:13Bannon said then, I want to thank Don Ahern.

03:17This is just a fabulous location to be able to do this.

03:21In September 2021, after Caesars Entertainment abruptly canceled a QAnon conference scheduled

03:26to take place at its convention center, Ahern's hotel came to the rescue.

03:31Dubbed For God and Country Patriot Double Down, the three-day October conference featured

03:37speakers such as QAnon promoters Jim and Ron Watkins, election-denying sheriff and Fox

03:42News personality David Clark, January 6th promoter Jason Sullivan, and far-right Arizona

03:48state senator and self-professed member of the Oath Keepers militia group Wendy Rogers,

03:53among others.

03:55The event's promotional video declares, quote, Trump won.

04:00While his star is rising due to his vocal defense of Trump, Ahern has been a political

04:04bigwig in Nevada for a while.

04:06Chuck Muth, a Las Vegas-based Republican consultant who previously advised Ahern, says, quote,

04:12Even before Trump hit the scene, Ahern was always a supporter of conservatives.

04:17He's definitely a much sought-after donor by about every politician in the state.

04:22While Ahern still owns Xtreme Manufacturing and has his 51% stake in Snorkel, he has no

04:28role in the day-to-day operations, which has left him plenty of time to be a political

04:32rainmaker, something he's been moving into over the past few years.

04:36After the 2020 election, Ahern deepened his political involvement.

04:40In May 2021, he joined the Nevada State Republican Party as finance chair.

04:45The group welcomed Ahern as a, quote, top Trump supporter and described him as a, quote,

04:50instrumental member of President Donald J. Trump's finance team.

04:54For full coverage, check out John Hyatt's piece on Forbes.com.

05:00This is Kieran Meadows from Forbes.

05:02Thanks for tuning in.

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