US Republican Big Donor Says "Time to Surpass Trump"...70 Billion to DeSantis

Ken Griffin. (Photo by Politico)

[Asia Economy Reporter Yujin Cho] Ken Griffin, a billionaire hedge fund manager and major political donor to the U.S. Republican Party, expressed his support for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in the presidential election just two days before the U.S. midterm elections.

On the 6th (local time), Griffin, CEO of the hedge fund Citadel, said in an interview with the U.S. political media outlet Politico that it is time for the Republican Party to move away from former President Donald Trump and find a new leader.

He said, "Former President Trump did a lot and did well, but he missed the mark on some important issues," adding, "(Now the Republican Party) needs to move on to the next generation."

Griffin donated about $100,000 (approximately 70 million KRW) to Trump's 2017 presidential inauguration committee but did not contribute to Trump's election campaign.

In an interview with Bloomberg last year, Griffin also criticized Trump, saying, "I think it is time for America to move forward," and "Former President Trump is only fostering meaningless division."

Known as a major donor to the Republican Party, Griffin has donated about $60 million (approximately 84 billion KRW) to Republican candidates and campaign committees running in this federal election.

This ranks third in political donations in the U.S., following George Soros, chairman of Soros Fund Management, who donated more than $128 million (179 billion KRW) to Democratic candidates, and Richard Uihlein, who donated about $62 million (87 billion KRW) supporting far-right candidates and organizations.

Griffin provided $5 million (approximately 700 million KRW) to DeSantis, who is running for re-election as the incumbent governor. Politico explained that this $5 million is the largest single donation DeSantis has received.

Griffin expressed his intention to support DeSantis if he runs in the 2024 presidential election, saying, "He has done an excellent job as Florida governor, and if he becomes president, it will be good for our country."

Meanwhile, former President Trump has openly targeted Governor DeSantis, his rival in the 2024 presidential primary. On the 5th, during a Republican candidate support rally in Pennsylvania, Trump revealed poll results showing that he had 71% support while DeSantis had 10% support among potential Republican presidential candidates.

He also mocked DeSantis by twisting his name to "Ron DeSanctimonious," calling him a "pretentious hypocrite."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.