According to information from the Federal Election Commission, a billionaire cofounder of Home Depot who once claimed that “nobody works” has contributed close to $64 million to political causes over the years, including the campaigns of former President Donald Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and Sen. John McCain.
‘Nobody Works, Nobody Gives A Damn’
The 93-year-old Bernie Marcus claimed in an interview with the Financial Times that “nobody works, nobody gives a damn,” and he attributed the shift to “socialist.”
I don’t want to work; I’m too lazy, too big, and too stupid,'” he added, adding that he believes that if he had created Home Depot today, it may not have been as successful.
Currently valued at $321 billion, Home Depot has around 2,300 locations across North America. Despite the difficulties some firms are still having recruiting, the current US unemployment rate is 3.7%, the lowest in decades.
Marcus, who cofounded Home Depot in 1978, has grown over time into a major Republican Party supporter. He backed Trump’s presidential campaigns in 2016 and 2020. His open endorsement of Trump triggered demands for a boycott of Home Depot, which led the business to dissociate itself from him.
Home Depot’s co-founder Bernie Marcus departed the firm more than 20 years ago, according to a statement given to Insider, and his opinions do not reflect the company.
But according to information acquired by Insider from the FEC, Marcus has given a total of $63,801,322 to political candidates and PACs dating back at least to 1978.
Numerous contributions were made specifically to promote Republican candidates, including the presidential campaigns of Trump, McCain, Sen. Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, and Sen. Mitt Romney, among others.
Some of Marcus’s biggest one-time contributions have gone to right-wing super PACS that actively backed Trump.
He gave the Preserve America PAC, a single-candidate PAC that backs Trump, $5 million twice in the year 2020.
Aid To Campaign
In 2016, Marcus gave Rebuilding America Now, a super PAC created to aid Trump’s first campaign, two contributions totaling $3 million and $2 million. He also contributed an additional $2 million to the pro-Trump PAC Making America Number 1.
Marcus contributed more than $15 million to the Senate Leadership Fund, a PAC working to give Republicans a majority in the Senate, between 2015 and 2022. He also contributed more than $5 million to the Congressional Leadership Fund.
A lengthy number of Republican senators, including Sens. Tom Cotton, Mike Lee, Chuck Grassley, Mitch McConnell, and Tim Scott, as well as Reps. Kevin McCarthy and Liz Cheney, have benefited from Marcus’ considerable contributions to House and Senate contests.
Additionally, in 2022, Marcus sent money to Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, a Democrat who has been charged with undermining his own party’s agenda, and unsuccessful Georgia senatorial candidate Herschel Walker.
Additionally, Marcus and his wife Billi have promised to donate the majority of their reputed $8.9 billion wealth. They committed to giving the majority of their money to philanthropic organizations when they joined The Giving Pledge in 2010.
