Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has supported President Donald Trump in the past, until last year’s controversial decision to hold a major fundraiser for him. With the election just over two months away, Ross has become more restrained in his support.
In fact, it is possible that Ross no longer supports the incumbent president at all.
In a recent interview with David Gelles from New York TimesRoss was asked why he supports President Trump.
“I mean, first of all, who said I was?” Ross said.
Recalling that Ross organized a fundraiser for Trump, Ross said: “That’s right. So I mean, look. I have known President Trump for a long time. I knew him and loved him. I do not agree with many of his policies. I believe there are a lot of good guys and I believe there are a lot of bad guys. At that time, there was a fundraiser at my house, I was looking for certain things to benefit New York. But I haven’t really made a decision about who I vote for.
Ross said he disagreed with the president on climate issues and had “been a bit of a divisive”. (That’s like saying the Dolphins were “a little bit mediocre” in the Stephen Ross era.)
Looks like Ross now regrets organizing the fundraiser. At the very least, he regrets the backlash he created.
“If I had known the impact of what happened last year, would I have thought differently?” he said. “Of course. I mean, here I am called a racist when I organized and spent more money as an individual to fight racism than anyone else in the country, and I was ahead of the game. game. But you know what? The best thing to do is keep your mouth shut. You go about your business because that’s what matters. “
He was asked if he would have actually done something different, if he had been aware of the reaction.
“I’m not saying I would have had it or I wouldn’t have it,” Ross said. “But given its impact on my trading partners, of course I should look at it differently. But I never complained. It happened. It is regrettable. It’s caused a lot of trouble for my trading partners and things. People who complained about me lost a lot of money. It makes me feel bad. But I know who I am and I will continue to fight for the causes that I believe need to be addressed. I will fight for climate control. I will fight against racism. I am probably the greatest defender in the country of the two. “
Ross declined to say whether he will ultimately vote for President Trump.
“I didn’t try to be in the news,” Ross said. “I’m not trying to be in the news. I don’t see myself as a public figure. I am a successful businessman from my point of view. I gave back. I will give back more than half of what I have to charity. I am not trying to be a public figure and I am not in control.
Ross should have thought about the different avenues of becoming a public figure before he bought, you know, an NFL team – and before he started selling fragments of the franchise to all kinds of celebrities.
Yet it seems Ross has learned the hard way one of the most important lessons of the First World the hard way: The only thing better than being rich and famous is to be rich.
