Republican megadonor Thomas Peterffy said he is suspending donations to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) ahead of his potential 2024 presidential campaign.
“I put myself on hold,” said the billionaire founder of Interactive Brokers Group Inc. for the Financial Times in an article published on Saturday.
“Because of his stance on abortion and banning books. . . me and a bunch of friends keep the powder dry,” explained Peterffy.
On Thursday night, DeSantis quietly signed Florida Republicans’ restrictive six-week abortion ban. He also banned black history courses and books, moves that were apparently too extreme for Peterffy.
DeSantis, a possible challenger to former President Donald Trump for the Republican nomination, “seems to have lost steam,” Peterffy added.
In November 2022, Peterffy was one of five Republican heavyweights who distanced themselves from Trump following the GOP’s poor performance in that month’s midterm elections, which was largely attributed to Trump’s endorsement of candidates he they regurgitated the 2020 election lies.
“I think we need a fresh face,” Petterfy told Bloomberg at the time. “The problem with Trump is that he has so many negatives that he can’t be elected, period.”
However, Peterffy said he will vote for Trump if he becomes the GOP nominee.
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