Zachary Halaschak of the Washington Examiner reports on one sign of shifting political winds for Republicans.
The GOP’s largest donors are already turning their focus to 2024 and the prospect that Republicans could have a nominee other than former President Donald Trump.
The poor results for Trump-backed candidates in the midterm elections have led some Republican business titans, many of whom opposed Trump in the run-up to the 2016 elections, to launch a renewed effort to loosen his grip on the party.
They’ve also been emboldened by the success of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who handily won his reelection bid and is polling well among Republicans. …
… Billionaire hedge fund boss Ken Griffin, who was the third-biggest donor to either party during this most recent election cycle, has already thrown Trump to the wolves. On Tuesday, he panned the former president as a “three-time loser” who should make way for DeSantis.
During the Bloomberg New Economy Forum in Singapore, Griffin also discussed how DeSantis’s “winning policies” were able to turn Florida from a purple state to a solidly red one. …
… New York businessman Andy Sabin backed Jeb Bush during the 2016 primaries but later bankrolled the Trump Victory fund to the tune of $100,000, according to public records. Sabin then poured another $120,000 toward Trump’s reelection campaign.
But now he is looking past Trump.
“I’m not going to give [Trump] a f***ing nickel,” Sabin told CNBC, blaming the former president for the GOP’s red wave not coming to fruition. The businessman asserted that Trump “endorsed candidates who were not necessarily qualified unless they said, ‘I love you, Donald.’” …
… Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, who hosted a fundraiser at his Hamptons home for Trump in the lead-up to the 2020 election, is also telling friends that he will back DeSantis should he run for president, according to CNBC.
