Wednesday 16 November 2022 09:41 PM Three billionaires DUMP Trump in two days trends now
Three billionaires have dropped former President Donald Trump in two days, with Ronald Lauder, the heir to the Estée Lauder fortune, saying he would not be backing the ex-president's 2024 White House bid.
Lauder has known Trump since college - was reportedly behind Trump's push to buy Greenland as president - and gave hundreds of thousands to Republicans in recent years.
The New York Times and CNBC reported Lauder's departure from Trumpworld Wednesday afternoon, after Axios reported Wednesday morning that prominent Republican superdonor Stephen Schwarzman was also done.
'America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday,' Schwarzman, the head of Blackstone Group, told Axios after Trump announced his intentions to run again Tuesday night at Mar-a-Lago.
'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,' Schwarzman said.
And Schwarzman's exit from the Trump orbit comes after another GOP megadonor, Citadel's Ken Griffin, said Tuesday at a Bloomberg forum he would be backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, should he run.
Three billionaires have dropped former President Donald Trump (left) in two days, with Ronald Lauder (right), the heir to the Estée Lauder fortune, saying he would not be backing the ex-president's 2024 White House bid
Prominent Republican superdonor Stephen Schwarzman (left), the CEO of Blackstone Group, told Axios Wednesday morning he would not be supporting former President Donald Trump's (right) 2024 presidential campaign
GOP megadonor, Citadel's Ken Griffin (pictured), said Tuesday at a Bloomberg forum he would be backing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, should he run
ABC News caught video of some crowd members trying to leave Mar-a-Lago's ballroom before Trump finished his speech. But security didn't allow anyone to leave the room until the whole Trump family departed
Former President Donald Trump announced he was running for president - again - at Mar-a-Lago Tuesday night, but he won't have the support of Republican superdonor Stephen Schwarzman
Former President Donald Trump (left) and former First Lady Melania Trump (right) walk into Mar-a-Lago for Tuesday night's presidential announcement. Guests were held inside the ballroom until the Trump family could depart the same way
Lara Trump (left) waves as she enters Mar-a-Lago alongside husband Eric (right), followed by Barron Trump (back left) and Jared Kushner (back right)
FRONT ROW TO HISTORY? Kimberly Guilfoyle, Jared Kushner, Eric Trump and Lara Trump were seated front row at Tuesday night's announcement, along with supporters in Trump hats
Barron Trump (left) and Melania Trump (right) sat front row at the Tuesday night Mar-a-Lago announcement. Outgoing Rep. Madison Cawthorn (right) could be seen seated behind the former first family
Ivanka Trump sent out a statement Tuesday night explaining her absence: she would not be having anything to do with the 2024 campaign
Griffin referred to Trump as a 'three-time loser,' which was similar to the verbiage former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie used to describe the ex-president's record when he tore into him at an Orlando conference for Republican governors Tuesday afternoon - just hours before Trump's speech.
Christie told a crowd, also according to Axios, that Trump was responsible not just for the 'red wave' never materializing in 2022, but losses in 2020 and 2018 as well.
Christie has been an off-and-on political ally of Trump - though has turned critic as of late.
Trump's speech droned on for just over an hour and lacked his usual vigor and humor - characteristic of those he delivers at rallies on the campaign trail. All the major TV networks, including Fox News Channel, pulled away before the ex-president had wrapped up.
Footage captured by ABC News from Tuesday night shows members of Trump's Mar-a-Lago crowd trying to make an exit as he was still speaking, but security prevented them from doing so.
The crowd was held inside the ballroom until the entire Trump family - Donald, Melania, Barron, Eric, Lara, Jared Kushner and Kimberly Guilfoyle - had departed out the front entrance of the Palm Beach, Florida estate.
Ivanka Trump sent out a statement Tuesday night, explaining her absence: she would not be having anything to do with the 2024 campaign.
'I love my father very much. This time
