Haim Saban of Power Rangers fame asks for Hillary Clinton campaign announcement at his surprise 70th birthday party. Israeli billionaire Haim Saban was thrown a surprise 70th birthday party by his wife Cheryl Saban on Saturday night, and he used the occasion to call on former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to run in the 2016 presidential elections.
Saban had planned to hold his birthday party on the Hawaiian island of Lanai according to MSN News, but was forced to cancel the plans due to an approaching hurricane.
The surprise party at a residence Saban owns in Los Angeles featured 220 guests, including former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, singer Barbara Streisand, and other famous personalities and leading business owners, reports Yedioth Aharonoth.
Clinton spoke at the party, thanking Saban for "his great contributions to the relations between Israel and the United States."
Saban responded by saying "I would be happy, madam, if you would announce on my birthday that you will run for the presidency of the United States." Clinton responded with a smile, deferring from making such an announcement.
The billionaire, who is worth an estimated $3 billion, has reportedly promised to donate "as much as needed" to get Clinton elected.
Speaking before his guests, Saban said "I decided that my age won't stop me from staying young. Cheryl and I aren't getting old, and that's that. ...When I look back at what I've been through and at this room full of friends here, it warms my heart. I understand how fortunate I was."
Saban was born in Egypt to a seamstress and office supply salesman, and grew up in Israel before emigrating to America. There, he hit it big starting in the 1990s by producing the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers television franchise.
Clinton has recently shown a relatively supportive stance regarding Israel, including recent comments in favor of IDF control over Judea and Samaria, as well as defending Israel during the recent Operation Protective Edge.
However, a revealing report in June by the New York Times exposed the animosity between Clinton and her husband Bill on the one hand, and US President Barack Obama and his family on the other, which is thought to threaten her chances of running for president.
She has also been condemned for her handling of the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack on the US consulate in Libya.