Wall Avenue billionaire Clifford Asness defended his fundraising for Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley after Donald Trump vowed to bar any of her donors from the “MAGA camp.”
“I contributed early and significantly to Nikki and thought I had done my job. But if past contributions don’t qualify me for being ‘barred’ from his RINO (yes they are the republicans in name only) cult I may have to contribute more now,” Asness mentioned in a put up on X Friday.
Asness, chief funding officer at AQR Capital Management, is amongst main donors co-hosting a fundraiser for Haley in New York on Jan. 30. The occasion, which may even be hosted by different Wall Avenue billionaires Stanley Druckenmiller, Ken Langone and Henry Kravis, is meant to offer a lift to Haley’s long-shot marketing campaign forward of the first election in her house state of South Carolina subsequent month, the place Trump is at present polling in first place.
Whereas Haley and Trump are the one two main candidates nonetheless within the Republican race, the previous president stays the main contender in nationwide polls after inserting first in each the Iowa caucus and New Hampshire’s main election. However that hasn’t stopped donors from flocking to Haley. Stand for America Fund Inc., which backs Haley, raised $50.1 million within the final six months of 2023, outraising the Trump marketing campaign’s tremendous political motion committee by about $5 million.
The 2 opponents have ramped up their assaults on one another in current weeks. Trump’s authentic Truth Social post this week used a disparaging nickname for Haley, saying “anybody that makes a ‘Contribution’ to Birdbrain, from this moment forth, will be permanently barred from the MAGA camp.”
In his put up, Asness made a dig at Trump’s mounting authorized woes, asking if he would take $83.3 million — the quantity a New York jury mentioned on Friday the previous president must pay to former Elle columnist E. Jean Carroll for defaming her — to “bow out.”
AQR Capital Administration and the Trump marketing campaign didn’t instantly reply to requests for remark.
I contributed early and considerably to Nikki and thought I had achieved my job. But when previous contributions don’t qualify me for being “barred” from his RINO (sure they’re the republicans in title solely) cult I could must contribute extra now.
Although I can’t assist considering he’s… https://t.co/Cdfs1byEIR
— Clifford Asness (@CliffordAsness) January 27, 2024
