Republican megadonors balk at backing Trump

Conservative megadonors have dismissed the idea of backing Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign after the billionaire announced he would be running last night.The former President, 76, has a huge backing among party voters, but several Republican politicians and, now, potential megadonors seem to be looking elsewhere.The most popular choices for big donors so far appear to be Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and Virginia’s Governor Glenn Youngkin.Neither Governor has announced a presidential campaign, however both have put in place fundraising machinery needed to support an eventual bid.Both men are seen as more electable by party donors, a quality which several of Trump’s hand-picked midterm candidates lacked.”I’m not going to give [Trump] a f** nickel,” New York-based businessman Andy Sabin told CNBC.Sabin gave $120,000 dollars towards Trump’s failed 2020 run. Republican megadonors have balked at the prospect of backing Trump. (Image: GETTY)However, this year he donated $55,000 to political action committee (PAC) Friends of Ron DeSantis which supported his 2022 gubernatorial re-election campaign.”At the end of the day, people stayed away because of Trump,” said Sabin, “[He] endorsed candidates who were not necessarily qualified unless they said ‘I love you, Donald’.”Out of about three dozen races labelled “toss-up” by election analysts at the Cook Political Report, Trump endorsed six candidates, five of whom lost.Many House candidates endorsed by Trump won their races, but in deeply red districts not facing much competition.The lacklustre performance has led to calls for others to run with DeSantis a likely contender.READ MORE: Trump speech’s sees him ‘meaner and desperate for fans’ Ron DeSantis has emerged as a favourite among the Republican elite. (Image: GETTY) Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin has emerged as another favourite among donors. (Image: GETTY)Political scientist and author Daniel Dranche told Express.co.uk DeSantis’ Florida win opened up massive fundraising opportunities for a campaign.He said: “He established himself through this [win] as a national figure that could take on Trump, [but] could is the operational word.”As a result of this he has a lot of money. Where is corporate America in all of this? They might think that you get the same policies with DeSantis, but a much more effective form of administration and governance like in Florida.”Sabin is the only one looking at DeSantis for 2024. According to CNBC, the Florida Governor has also caught the eye of Miami Dolphins owner and real estate tycoon Stephen Ross, who has reportedly told friends he favours DeSantis.Adding to the wave of megadonors sweeping towards DeSantis, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin recently said he would back the Governor in a presidential run. He gave Friends of Ron DeSantis PAC $5 million last year.DON’T MISS:Prince Harry ‘firmly excluded’ by King [REPORT]Russian pundit erupts over ‘fairytale’ of Ukraine invasion [ANALYSIS]Sunak clears schedule for emergency meeting over Poland missile [INSIGHT] Trump raised much of his 2020 funds from small-dollar donors. (Image: GETTY)Griffin also gave more than $100 million in the 2022 midterms, mainly to Republicans running in state and federal races.Of DeSantis, he told Politico: “He did a lot of things really well and missed the mark on some important areas, And for a litany of reasons, I think it’s time to move on to the next generation.”He added that Trump he hoped Trump wouldn’t run again. However, there is one caveat to megadonors abandoning Trump.It, again, comes down to the President’s popularity among the voters. Donald Trump’s PAC’s raised most of their funds through small-dollar donors.The former president will likely be able call on the loyalty of his die hard supporters to help fund a chance at the White House.