A top Republican donor is done with former President Donald Trump and more excited about a path to the Oval Office for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2024.
Ken Griffin, a billionaire hedge fund CEO who flooded Republican campaigns with nearly $60 million over the recent midterm election, told POLITICO he would back DeSantis if the governor makes a run for the presidency in 2024.
“He has a tremendous record as governor of Florida, and our country would be well-served by him as president,” he said.
Griffin said the former president’s time on the political scene should be over.
“He did a lot of things really well and missed the mark on some important areas,” he said. “And for a litany of reasons, I think it’s time to move on to the next generation.”
Griffin is already putting his money where his mouth is, spending $5 million to become the top contributor to DeSantis’ reelection campaign, which the governor won handily.
Griffin’s only financial support for Trump was a $100,000 donation to his inaugural committee, according to POLITICO.
However, Griffin did highlight a few ways he’s not happy with DeSantis. The governor’s feud with Disney World ran against Griffin’s aim to heal relations between corporate America and the Republican Party, which he says are strained by Trump-style populism. And he publicly disagreed with the governor flying Venezuelan migrants from Texas to the affluent Martha’s Vineyard.
But for him, those concerns still have yet to trump DeSantis’ positives, POLITICO reported.
“Would I support him? The bigger question is, is he going to run?” Griffin said. “That bridge has to be crossed.”
Trump, still only teasing a 2024 run, has recently focused attacks on DeSantis, who has done less to signal his intent to run but is widely seen as a top contender. Trump has threatened to undercut DeSantis with embarrassing information if the Florida governor runs against him, the New York Times reported. Trump also dubbed the governor “DeSanctimonious” during a recent rally.
