Donald Trump Meets With Ari Emanuel: Inside Their Long-Standing Relationship

The two have known each other for some time.

ByABC News
November 21, 2016, 3:21 PM

— -- Ari Emanuel, a co-CEO of talent agency WME-IMG, met with Donald Trump on Sunday at the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey, though it's not clear what the two discussed.

Emanuel's office has not responded to ABC News' request for comment, but it's well-known that he and Trump have a long-standing relationship.

Here are a few things to know about it.

Emanuel represented Trump: Though Emanuel was Trump's agent for some time, WME-IMG told CNN Money that the firm no longer represents the president-elect.

They discussed collaborating in the past: In June, Trump told The Hollywood Reporter that Emanuel, whom he called "a very good friend of mine," offered to helm a movie about the GOP candidate for the Republican National Convention. "He calls me a lot. I call him a lot, and we talk. He's very political. Even though he's not political, he's political. He gets it. You're shocked to hear that [about the film], right?" Trump said. "But yeah, I might do something with Ari."

Trump also has history with Ari Emanuel's brother Rahm Emanuel: Rahm Emanuel, one of the agent's older brothers, was President Barack Obama's chief of staff and is the current mayor of Chicago. He's also a Democrat. According to The Washington Post, Trump gave $50,000 to Rahm Emanuel's mayoral campaign in 2010 in spite of their political differences.

"I like Rahm, I've always liked him as a person, and more importantly, Ari, his brother, is my agent. So I did make a contribution to him, and, frankly, I don't think they had any Republicans running," he told Rush Limbaugh in 2011. "I'm very loyal to people, and that supersedes, frankly, party lines. But I'm very, very loyal to people, and I'm also very loyal to people that I think are good for the country."

Emanuel has done business with Trump: In September 2015, WME-IMG acquired the Miss Universe Organization from Trump. Ari Emanuel told The Hollywood Reporter that the deal came about when "a problem" emerged. "He was running [for president]. He wanted to sell it," Emanuel explained. "[WME-IMG] said, 'Great, we want to buy it.'"

Emanuel donated to Hillary Clinton's campaign: According to Variety, despite his long-standing friendship with Trump, Emanuel donated $2,700, the maximum for a primary campaign donation, to Hillary Clinton. However, he indicated to The Hollywood Reporter that it wouldn't necessarily preclude him from taking Trump back as a client had he lost the election. "I'm not contemplating any of that. I'm not delving into that conversation with you," Emanuel said.

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