Bernie Marcus, the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot who retired from the company, is still loyal to Donald Trump.
The billionaire and Republican donor said he would likely continue to support Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign financially, even if the former president is convicted in any of the four criminal cases he is facing before the next presidential election.
“I think so. Because I think it’s all trumped up,” Marcus told Reuters, referring to the 91 charges against Trump that stem from his attempts to overturn his 2020 election defeat and his alleged mishandling of classified information after leaving the White House.
Marcus indicated that he would not be a major contributor to Trump’s campaign, even though he would back him in the primary and the general election if he becomes the GOP nominee.
“Of course, I’m going to support him to some extent, but I’m not one of his big givers, that’s for sure,” Marcus said.
Marcus praised the former president in an op-ed published by RealClearPolitics earlier this month, saying he was confident he would win the nomination. He urged voters, “We cannot let his brash style be the reason we walk away from his otherwise excellent stewardship of the United States during his first term in office.”
In 2019, The Home Depot co-founder sparked a social media boycott of Home Depot after he expressed his admiration for Trump’s “common sense approach to most things” and revealed his intention to support his reelection bid.
“Now, do I agree with every move that he makes? No, I don’t,” Marcus told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution at the time.
“But the truth is he has produced more than anybody else. He has. If we look at this country, I would say that we are better off today than we were eight years ago or six years ago.”
Following the billionaire’s remarks in a recent interview, consumers swiftly reacted with outrage, sparking a widespread online uproar. The hashtag #BoycottHomeDepot quickly gained traction on social media platform X, with a huge number of users pledging to abstain from shopping at the home improvement chain in protest.
Trump has been facing a barrage of legal troubles since he left office in 2021.
He is accused of inciting the Jan 6. Riot on the Capitol that aimed to overturn the 2020 presidential election results in one case.
ALSO READ| Horrifying video shows Ohio automobile shop exploding; 3 dead, 1 injured
He is also charged with illegally obtaining and possessing 31 classified documents that contain national defense information after he left office in another case. Plus, he is indicted for falsifying business records related to his alleged payment of hush money to a porn star after having sex with her.
