By Maggie Haberman

New York Times

Karl Rove, the architect of George W. Bush’s victorious presidential campaigns and founder of a constellation of political fundraising groups, has called Donald Trump “a complete idiot.” He has described him as “graceless and divisive.” He has said Trump’s boasts about beating Hillary Clinton in the polls are false.

Trump has reacted with anger to such insults, calling Rove “sad” and questioning his record of success.

But two weeks ago, Trump and Rove held a secret meeting as the presumptive Republican nominee was courting major party figures.

The meeting took place at the Manhattan home of casino magnate Steve Wynn, a mutual friend of both men who brokered the get-together, according to two people briefed on the meeting and who were granted anonymity to discuss the private gathering.

Trump’s campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, described it as a “good meeting,” but did not elaborate. An aide to Wynn did not respond to an email seeking comment, and Rove similarly declined to respond.

The purpose of the meeting was unclear, although Rove is the last strategist to help elect a Republican president, and Trump is lagging organizationally for the upcoming general election.

If détente was the goal, the meeting did not appear to have a lasting effect: The morning after Trump’s freewheeling, media-bashing news conference Tuesday, Rove was deeply critical of his performance.

“I’m not certain it helps him with the people who are swing voters, up for grabs, and it certainly is very unpresidential,” Rove said on Fox News. “It would not be a good spectacle for our country to have a President Trump acting like candidate Trump acted yesterday.”

The tense relationship between Trump and Rove has deeper significance than just resolving their public sparring. Rove has longstanding relationships with many of the party’s biggest donors, and has intricate knowledge of how super PACs can help elect candidates.

Rove also has a long relationship with Sheldon Adelson, another casino magnate who has fulsomely endorsed Trump and who has said he would spend upward of $100 million to back the presumptive Republican nominee.

Rove has talked with Adelson about his options for what super PAC to use as a vehicle for donating such a large sum of money to support Trump, including possibly using the Crossroads fundraising groups, which he helped establish, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.

Adelson is also discussing the possibility of creating a new entity that would back Trump, and has been holding talks with Nick Ayers, the former executive director of the Republican Governors Association, according to two people briefed on the discussions. Ayers’ involvement was first reported by the website Politico.

Creating a new group would give Adelson more direct control over how his money is spent, at a moment when there are a number of super PACs that either exist or are being formed to support Trump’s presidential bid. Other major donors, such as Rebekah Mercer, who supported the presidential campaign of Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, are considering backing Trump through other super PACs.

Super PACs cannot coordinate with campaigns. But so far, the Trump campaign hasn’t signaled formally whether any group has its tacit blessing, despite the proliferation of groups supporting Trump. And in two cases, former aides to the campaign have gone to work for super PACs that support Trump, despite “cooling-off periods” mandated by campaign finance laws when transitions like that take place.

One super PAC supporting Trump is run by a former aide to Ben Carson. Another proposed group, which would be backed by Tom Barrack, a financier and close friend of Trump’s, was officially created Thursday, with more than $30 million in commitments, according to a CNN report.

Yet another group is being advised by Edward J. Rollins, political strategist who was Ronald Reagan’s campaign manager and has longstanding ties to the Republican Party. That group recently brought on Stuart Jolly, an ally of Lewandowski. Jolly recently resigned from the campaign after a shake-up, and can work for the group only on a limited basis because of campaign finance rules governing transitions from campaigns to super PACs.

That group has faced scrutiny over its ad-buying practices, although it has upcoming donor meetings with prominent figures such as financier Julian H. Robertson Jr. But in a recent meeting with Trump, former Secretary of State James A. Baker was critical of Rollins, according to two people briefed on the exchange.

Rollins and Baker were competitors during the Republican primary race in 1980 between Reagan and George H.W. Bush. In an email, Rollins said he had signed on to help in an unusual year.

“If others think they can do it better, have at it!” Rollins said in an email. “It is going to be a tough and expensive campaign and I would assume Mr. Trump and his team would want all the help they can get!”

© 2016 The New York Times Company