Ken Langone – Home Depot’s billionaire co-founder and Republican megadonor – said he feels “betrayed” by President Trump after the siege of the Capitol last week.
Langone criticized Trump’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election results and promised to help President-elect Joe Biden “be the best president we’ve ever had”.
“I feel betrayed,” Langone told CNBC in an interview on Wednesday. “… Last Wednesday was a shame, it should never have happened in this country, and if it hasn’t broken all Americans’ hearts, something is wrong. It breaks my heart, for sure. I didn’t sign up for this. “
Langone is a prolific donor to Republican candidates – he and his wife, Elaine, have made nearly $ 517,000 in political contributions in the past two years, $ 496,500 of which went to Republicans, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The 85-year-old financier allegedly supported some of Trump’s economic policies, such as his tariffs on China, and made a $ 2,700 donation to the president’s campaign in 2016, federal records show.
But he suggested that the Capitol rioters were wrong in trying to prevent Biden from taking office, interrupting the counting of Congressional electoral votes last week.
“Examining the judicial system to try to get some results – it exhausted everything, it was over,” Langone told CNBC.
“I think those people who tried to stop the process were reckless,” he added.
Asked whether Trump should be impeached – a step the House was taking on Wednesday – Langone answered bluntly: “I don’t care.”
“All I care about is one thing: January 20, Joe Biden is going to take office as president and I’m going to work hard any way I can because I will win – if he is a highly successful president, we all win,” he said .