ALBANY — Democratic former Gov. David Paterson on Monday was named vice president of Las Vegas Sands Corp., the casino company headed by Sheldon Adelson, a known supporter of and donor to President Trump.

“I think I’m doing what more Americans need to do right now. Mr. Adelson has a First Amendment right to vote for whoever he wants to vote for president and to spend his money giving contributions to whoever he feels would be the best candidate,” Paterson told The Post during a visit to the state Capitol on Monday.

“The acrimony that builds every day more and more between the two parties, I think this is a real example of what used to happen in this country where people didn’t even think about their political affiliations when business opportunity came through because business is about respect and as long as I feel respected, then I can work there.”

New York already has four upstate commercial casinos in operation, with three others being authorized in the New York City metro area. But those facilities will not be given approval to build until 2023, due to restrictions in the state Constitution approved in 2013.

Sands argues a downstate casino program would bring $1.5 billion in revenue for the public transportation system and public education thanks to license fees paid by casino operators.

They also promise 15,000 permanent union jobs and another 15,000 union construction jobs, sans government subsidies.

Paterson, who served as governor from 2008 to 2010 and began consulting for Sands earlier this year, insisted the casinos would support the upstate casino industry by lowering tax and licensing burdens.

“The whole idea of bringing thousands of jobs into the state of New York, enticing people to stay rather than leave, enticing other people to move here and doing it through the entertainment industry that is gaming is an exciting new challenge for me,” he said.

Gov. Andrew Cuomo, who succeeded Paterson as governor, has so far dismissed talk of allowing early bidding on the licenses.

“I am very skeptical about some casino deal put together by casino operators promising billions of dollars and everybody’s happy,” Cuomo said last spring.

With Post wires