PALM BEACH, Fla. — Donald Trump's new presidential campaign is not attracting some big money donors — including from some of Palm Beach's wealthiest people.
Two billionaires Stephen Schwarzman, the CEO of equity firm Blackstone, and businessman Ronald Lauder have both made it known that they don't intend to donate to the Trump campaign.
"Schwarzman is a member of Mar-a-Lago. He's a friend [of Trump]. He lives up the road," Laurence Leamer, the author of 'Mar-A-Lago: Inside the Gates of Power at Donald Trump's Presidential Palace,'" said. "He's a very shrewd man, and that he's backing off from Trump is very telling and very important."
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It would appear that many high-dollar donors and some Republican officials seem ready to move on, particularly to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has yet to say if he will run for president.
"Right now, what they're playing with is the idea they can find a substitute that will satisfy the base," Professor Charles Zelden at Nova Southeastern University said.
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Several media reports said Trump is demanding support from people after his campaign kicked off Tuesday.
"It's a very difficult thing. You don't want to infuriate Trump," Leamer said. "It's going to be unpleasant for him and others will be doing the same thing — maybe not as publicly as Schwarzman — but they won't just be opening their checkbooks."