Then-President-elect Donald Trump shakes hands with Ronald Lauder, President of the World Jewish Congress, after a meeting on December 28, 2016 at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
Don Emmert | AFP | Getty Images
Billionaire and GOP megadonor Ronald Lauder won’t help finance Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign for president, his spokesman told CNBC on Wednesday.
Lauder, an heir to the Estée Lauder fortune, is the latest Republican megadonor to distance himself from Trump as the former president launches a third bid for the White House. Lauder contributed almost $100,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2019 when the political organization was helping Trump get reelected, according the nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets.
Lauder has known Trump since college, and the two have been close for years. Lauder reportedly spoke to Trump while he was president about the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland.
Though his spokesman did not say who Lauder would support in 2024, Florida campaign finance records show that the billionaire businessman donated $10,000 last year to a political action committee supporting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ successful reelection campaign.
DeSantis has not ruled out running against Trump in a Republican primary for president.
Read More: Trump ally, billionaire megadonor Ronald Lauder will not back Trump’s