Billionaire Home Depot cofounder and staunch Donald Trump supporter Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, died on Tuesday at the age of 95. Marcus was Home Depot’s CEO until 1997 and served as the company’s chairman until 2002 when he retired.
Marcus is said to have had a net worth of about $7.4b and was a major contributor to the Republican Party, but especially to Trump and his campaign. Along with his wife, Billi, Marcus donated $7m to various PACs supporting the success of Trump’s 2016 campaign and another $7.9m to Republicans in the 2018 midterm elections. He also gave Trump $1m in September.
Marcus had also donated millions of dollars to the campaigns of other Republican politicians, including the late John McCain and the Florida governor, Ron DeSantis.
Home Depot found itself at the center of a controversial boycott in 2019 thanks to Marcus's staunch conservative politics and his financial support of Trump's failed presidential re-election bid in 2020. Marcus said in an interview with the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that while he thought Trump “sucked” at communication, his impact on employment and aggressive stances toward China and Iran had been "positive."
The retail giant has still lost business over the years despite the brand's attempts to distance itself from the then-retired Marcus. After Trump took to Twitter to defend Marcus, Home Depot released a statement further distancing themselves from the issue by stating that "as a standard practice, the company does not endorse Presidential candidates."
Reactions on Twitter were mixed, with MAGA praising Marcus and others vilifying him.