Ken Griffin, the billionaire hedge fund manager who founded Citadel, said he wasn’t sure who he would support in the Republican primary – a sign that he is no longer supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis as a presidential candidate .
“I’m still undecided about who to support in this election cycle,” Griffin, the longtime GOP donor, told CNBC in an interview airing Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern Time.
Griffin has expressed his preference if Republicans nominate someone other than 77-year-old former President Donald Trump, who remains the clear front-runner despite mounting legal troubles.
A recent Quinnipiac poll showed Trump leading DeSantis among GOP voters by a 62% to 12% margin.
“Look, if I were to achieve my dream, we would have a great Republican candidate in the primary who was younger, of a different generation, and had a different tone for America,” Griffin told CNBC, alluding to Trump.
“And we would have a younger person on the Democratic side in the primaries who would represent their message for our country,” said the mogul, who has a net worth of $35 billion.
Citadel CEO Ken Griffin told CNBC he wasn’t sure who he would support in the GOP primary.REUTERS
From today’s perspective, the country will obviously have to choose between Trump and the incumbent, 80-year-old President Joe Biden next year.
Biden’s age and apparent decline in mental capacity are raising alarm bells among Democrats as polls show voters are concerned about the president’s stamina.
If both parties chose someone younger, “we would be having a debate about ideas, principles and policies to make this a great nation,” Griffin told CNBC.
“We are not having this dialogue at the moment.”
Last year, Griffin, who moved his hedge fund’s headquarters from deep blue Chicago to Florida due to rising crime and worsening quality of life in the Windy City, endorsed DeSantis and insisted the Republican governor would “run” on a record of simply incredible accomplishments .”
Griffin no longer supports Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who polls show is well behind front-runner Donald Trump.REUTERS
Griffin donated $5 million to DeSantis’ successful re-election last year.
In November, he told Politico that “our country would be well served with him as president.”
But the initial enthusiasm of the GOP donor class that welcomed the prospect of a DeSantis candidacy has faded.
The Florida governor’s ineffective campaign and his ongoing battle with Disney have angered pro-business Republican donors.
“[As a] First Term Governor – [DeSantis did] just a phenomenal job,” Griffin said. “But that’s not how the last few months have panned out.”
A new poll shows Trump, the former president, leading DeSantis by around 40 percentage points.SHAWN THEW/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“The ongoing battle with Disney is, in my opinion, pointless,” Griffin continued. “In fact, it doesn’t reflect the Florida ethos well.”
Disney’s opposition to the so-called “Don’t Say Gay” law, which bans sex and gender identity education to elementary school students, prompted DeSantis to retaliate by stripping the Mouse House of its semi-autonomous status over its theme parks in and around Orlando.
Disney has filed a lawsuit against the governor of Florida, accusing him of violating the company’s First Amendment rights.
DeSantis also recently signed a sweeping measure that restricts services for undocumented immigrants and imposes penalties on companies that employ them — a move that the Wall Street Journal’s conservative editorial board called a “failure.”
Griffin later issued a statement to CNBC saying, “As the presidential campaigns evolve, I am assessing how each candidate’s policies will address the challenges facing our country.”
Griffin told CNBC that both Republicans and Democrats should field a younger candidate.REUTERS
“I care about individual rights and freedoms, economic policies that promote prosperity and upward mobility, ensuring all children have access to a quality education, ensuring the safety of our communities and strong national defense.”
The Post has reached out to DeSantis for comment.
Source : nypost.com