Billionaire Republican donor and Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone has found a Democrat he likes.
Langone said on Wednesday he intends to hold a fundraiser for Sen. Joe Manchin after the West Virginia Democrat stymied elements of President Joe Biden’s proposed sweeping social spending package, which is still under negotiation by congressional Democrats.
“I don’t see leadership any place in this country. Thank god for Joe Manchin. The guy gots guts and courage … I’m going to have one of the biggest fundraisers I’ve ever had for him. He’s special,” says Ken Langone on @Sen_JoeManchin. pic.twitter.com/HUkZHdI41a
— Squawk Box (@SquawkCNBC) November 10, 2021
Langone said during an interview with CNBC’s Squawk Box that rising inflation will cause the public to suffer, saying it is a “regressive tax” that will hurt “the poor people hardest of all.”
“I don’t see leadership any place in this country. Thank God for Joe Manchin, by the way,” Langone said.
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Langone said Manchin has “guts and courage.”
“I’ll tell you right now, I’m going to have one of the biggest fundraisers — he’s a Democrat, I’m a Republican — I’m going to have one of the biggest fundraisers I’ve ever had for him,” Langone said. “He’s special. He’s precious. He’s a great American.”
According to records from the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics, Langone has not previously contributed to one of Manchin’s campaigns, although he has contributed to some other Democrats in the past.
Langone backed former President Donald Trump during his 2016 campaign but later said he felt “betrayed” by Trump after the deadly riot at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6.
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“Last Wednesday was a disgrace and should never have happened in this country, and if it doesn’t break every American’s heart, something is wrong,” Langone said on Squawk Box the week after the riot. “It breaks my heart, for sure. I didn’t sign up for that.”
