A controversial donor who had contributed to both former President Donald Trump and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and had previously made derogatory remarks about former President Barack Obama, calling him, "f–ing Muslim N—", allegedly shot himself dead last week in an attempted murder-suicide.
Steve Alembik, 72, was pronounced dead after a shooting incident involving himself and an unidentified woman in the parking lot of a BurgerFi outlet in Delray Beach on October 10, as reported by the Miami Herald. The woman, who sustained injuries to her back and arm, managed to survive by fleeing into the restaurant while bleeding and was transported to the hospital for medical attention.
Mystery Shrouds Death
The woman is believed to be Alembik's wife but there is no official confirmation on her identity yet. Alembik was a prominent GOP donor, having contributed over $200,000 in political contributions over the course of the past two decades. His contributions included thousands of dollars to both Trump and DeSantis, as reported by the Herald.
A motive for the shooting is unclear, but those who knew Alembik said he had a history of mental health issues. "Sadly, those of us who knew Steve understood that he struggled with his mental health at times," Laura Loomer, a pro-Trump activist, wrote in what appears to be a now-deleted tweet, according to the Herald.
However, Alembik faced severe criticism in 2018 after making derogatory remarks and using racial slurs. He referred to former President Obama as a "f–ing Muslim N—" and claimed that the then-Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg "can't die soon enough."
These comments sparked outrage and condemnation from various quarters.
Following the backlash, Alembik tried to defend himself by claiming that he was not racist and expressed regret for the offensive tweet.
However, he also argued that he should be allowed to use racial slurs, including the "n-word." This stance further fueled the criticism and backlash against him.
"So somebody like Chris Rock can get up on stage and use the word and there's no problem? But some white guy says it and he's a racist? Really?" he asked Politico.
"I grew up in New York in the '50s," Alembik continued.
"We were the ki–s. They were the n—s. They were the goyim, and those were the sp–s."
In Their Bad Books
At the time of the offensive tweet, Alembik, known for his distinctive flag suits, had made donations to both then-Florida Governor Rick Scott, who was running for Senate, and DeSantis, who aimed to succeed Scott as governor.
Following the incident, both Scott's and DeSantis' campaigns distanced themselves from Alembik. Scott donated the $1,100 he received from Alembik to Shriners Hospital.
A political action committee supporting DeSantis' campaign returned $11,000 it had received from Alembik. DeSantis' campaign stated that $4,000, given separately, had already been spent and could not be refunded.
The campaign vehemently criticized the tweet and announced it would no longer accept any contributions from Alembik, as reported by the Miami Herald.
However, records obtained by the Herald revealed that DeSantis' re-election campaign and a state PAC supporting his campaign, Friends of Ron DeSantis, received over $5,000 from Alembik in 2021 and 2022.
In 2017, Alembik made headlines again after he relocated a charity gala for his newly founded pro-Israel nonprofit, Truth About Israel, to Mar-a-Lago. This decision came after nearly 20 mainstream charities withdrew their events from the venue due to Trump's controversial statement regarding the events in Charlottesville, where he mentioned "many fine people." The gala was initially intended to support charitable causes.
Alembik collaborated with a promoter to boost ticket sales for the event using Chinese social media platforms, implying that attendees would have access to the former president. However, Trump had never intended to attend the event as the annual Governor's Ball was scheduled for the same night.
Alembik faced criticism for not providing a seating chart and kosher food, further adding to the controversies surrounding the gala.
However, he tried damage control by telling 400 people in the grand ballroom: "This president has had Israel's back like no president has since the days of Ronald Reagan."
He went on to say that he heard other "spineless" organizations were pulling their events from Mar-a-Lago, "I picked up the phone, I call Mar-a-Lago, they think I'm calling to cancel some other gala or some event, and I said no. I'd like to come here and show our support for the president of the United States."
In total, Alembik raised more than $7,500 for committees supporting Trump through his donations and contributions.
