Mega-Donors Bailing on Trump and Moving to DeSantis – Watch
In order to become the president of the United States, you need friends with very deep pockets. In 2016, the presidential candidates spent about $2.2 billion. In 2020, that rose to $6.6 billion.
In a major blow to former President Donald Trump, Republican mega-donor Hal Lambert, the founder of Texas-based Point Bridge Capital, has announced that he will not be supporting Trump in the 2024 presidential election. Lambert, who has donated millions of dollars to Trump’s political campaigns in the past, said that he is no longer confident in Trump’s ability to win the general election.
“I’m in for DeSantis this time. I plan to do a lot to help DeSantis win,” Lambert told The New York Post.
“Ron is good at giving a message,” Lambert said, adding that his wife Casey “is amazing.” “She will be a real asset.”
“What voters who didn’t vote for Trump in 2020 are going to vote for him this time based on his performance? I don’t think anyone will,” Lambert said.
“We can’t talk about things from four years ago that can’t be changed,” he said. “Trump is going to have a difficult time winning the general election. The election won’t be about Joe Biden’s bad record. It will be a referendum on Trump instead.”
Lambert said Trump’s performance during a recent CNN town hall left a bad taste in his mouth.
It’s not just Lambert who is bailing on supporting Trump.
“GOP megadonors Robert Mercer and Rebekah Mercer have no current plans to help former President Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign for the White House, according to people familiar with the matter,” CNBC reported.
“The Mercers, a father and daughter who were among Trump’s major benefactors during his first run for president in 2016, are distancing themselves from the ex-president’s third White House bid and cutting back their overall campaign fundraising, these people said. The people who spoke to CNBC did so on the condition of anonymity in order to talk about private conversations.”
And Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman said, “It is time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders and I intend to support one of them in the presidential primaries.”
Former Trump mega-donor and all-round awesome guy, Hal Lambert, is backing DeSantis enthusiastically this time:
[The GOP donor — who served on Trump’s inaugural committee in 2016 — said he decided to back DeSantis after dining with the governor and his wife, Casey, in Florida…
— Bill Mitchell (@mitchellvii) May 22, 2023
