Republican mega-donor Ken Griffin says it’s time for the party to “move on” from Donald Trump, and says he would support a Ron DeSantis presidential candidacy.
Mr Griffin, the head of investment firm Citadel, has given $60m to GOP candidates and campaigns in the 2022 midterm cycle, and told Politico he had tired of Mr Trump.
“He did a lot of things really well and missed the mark on some important areas. And for a litany of reasons, I think it’s time to move on to the next generation.”
Mr Griffin donated $5m to Mr DeSantis’s reelection campaign for Florida governor, and said he didn’t know if he would seek higher office.
“It’s a huge personal decision. He has a tremendous record as governor of Florida, and our country would be well-served by him as president,” Mr Griffin told Politico.
Mr Griffin said he disagreed with the Republican governor over his controversial move to fly dozens of Venezuelan migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.
The billionaire hedge fund manager told Politico he had tried to mend fractured relationships between Republicans and corporate America.
He said the revocation of Disney’s special tax status during a dispute over passing anti-LGBTQ legislation “felt like retribution”.
Mr Trump has signalled his intention to run for president again in 2024, with an announcement expected soon after the midterm elections.
At a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, Mr Trump took a swipe at the Florida governor, referring to him as “Ron DeSanctimonious”.
The former president was criticised by conservatives for the divisive attack on the popular Republican governor days out from the 2022 midterms.
“DeSantis is an extremely effective conservative governor who has had real policy wins and real cultural wins,” tweeted conservative commentator Matt Walsh.
“Also, nice job launching your public attack against the most popular conservative governor in America three days before the midterms when we’re all supposed to be showing a united front,” he added.
Arkansas Senator Tom Cotton reportedly pulled out of the 2024 presidential race over the weekend.
