Pope Francis may have met with Elie Hirschfeld in Rome last month, but that won’t stop the real estate developer from endorsing the pontiff’s new nemesis, Donald Trump, for president. Hirschfeld — the developer behind New York landmarks including the Hotel Pennsylvania and the Crowne Plaza Hotel — even famously rented his Hamptons mansion for two summers to Hillary and Bill Clinton, but still insists he’s firmly in The Donald’s camp.The Hirschfeld Properties chief was granted an audience with the pope last month after being invited by his rabbi, and said his holiness was warm and gracious, but he just isn’t The Donald.
Elie Hirschfeld, who partnered with Trump on apartment complex Riverside South, told Page Six of the Republican frontrunner, “I consider him a giant in business. Donald is actually extraordinary, he is so engaging. When you meeting him you get a Bill Clinton-esque feeling of warmth. He’s charming, and its a little bit disarming because you don’t see initially the genius in the man, but that is what he is, he works nonstop.”
The Clintons stayed at Elie Hirschfeld’s mansion at 211 Lily Pond Lane in 2011 and 2012, until a dispute over a security deposit sent them to rent elsewhere. Of Hillary, Elie Hirschfeld said, “I admire Secretary Clinton greatly, but these two candidates are different types of people. I think Donald Trump can be an extraordinary leader for America and the world in a way that not many people appreciate yet.”