Boston residents should probably be thrilled that Donald Trump supporters will be partying outside of city limits tonight at F1 in Braintree. For one, there will be less disappointed (or ecstatic, but preferably disappointed) Republicans motoring back to the ‘burbs through the Hub’s communities of color. Also, it could be helpful for some Trumpies to expend some of their energy driving in circles for hours.
Though some business owners may be too embarrassed or ashamed to sport their Make America Great Again hats in public, F1 owner Richard Valentine isn’t your average serial entrepreneur. A car-racing enthusiast and the honcho behind the massive MBA Group, it’s not hard to see where he agrees with the GOP nominee. If ever there was a bio fit for a Trump supporter, it’s Valentine’s (this one coming from his personal website, a veritable portal onto the executive’s importance):
Valentine believes business and racing have much in common. To succeed in each requires planning, teamwork and a deep desire to compete and win. He has successfully used the parallel tenets as a networking and closing methodology in a multitude of businesses for the past two decades …
He has achieved the same level of success in business that he has on the race track. The MBA Group, which he founded in 1969 and is headquartered in Braintree, Massachusetts, has owned and operated businesses in such diverse industries as insurance, high technology, real estate, financial services, oil and gas, and corporate investigative services.
There’s also this from the MBA site:
Over the years, I’ve been lucky. But like my father said, “The harder you work, the luckier you get.” My luck? I’ve been fortunate enough to have the right idea at the right time. I said YES to an investment when my partners said, “You’re crazy.” I was able to negotiate a couple of unreal exits, leaving me with the resources to found, build and invest in more businesses.
Valentine has propped a number of Republicans over the years, including a $2,500 gift to the Massachusetts state party in 2014. In July he donated a reported $2,700 to the Trump campaign, and has also contributed to the conservative likes of Tea Party activist and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Gov. Charlie Baker, and Republican Whitman State Rep. Geoff Diehl, the latter of whom’s campaign has taken more than $3,000 from the F1 entrepreneur. Diehl, a co-chair of Trump’s Bay State campaign, recently lamented to the Boston Herald about the intimidation of voters in this election—by Democrats. Asked about anti-Trump graffiti found on the property of the Museum of Fine Arts last week, Diehl told the tabloid, “It’s been a disturbing trend in this presidential cycle that there’s been people recruited from the left to attack Trump rallies and now we’re seeing what is turning into desperation on the side of the Clinton campaign to bully Trump voters into not coming out on Tuesday.”
This being Massachusetts, naturally Valentine is a bipartisan contributor, having also given thousands to the likes of Democrat and former Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo, embattled outgoing Milton State Sen. Brian Joyce, and former Braintree State Rep. Joseph Driscoll.
As Donald Trump himself has put it, “I give to politicians; and they give back: that’s broken!”
Dig Staff means this article was a collaborative effort. Teamwork, as we like to call it.
