Trump praises Home Depot's Bernie Marcus following boycott threats over president support
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President Trump praised Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus on Tuesday after some shoppers vowed to boycott the home improvement chain after the billionaire said he would support the president’s 2020 re-election bid.
"A truly great, patriotic & charitable man, Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot who, at the age of 90, is coming under attack by the Radical Left Democrats with one of their often used weapons. They don’t want people to shop at those GREAT stores because he contributed to your favorite President, me!" Trump wrote in a two-part tweet Tuesday night.
"These people are vicious and totally crazed, but remember, there are far more great people (‘Deplorables’) in this country, than bad. Do to them what they do to you. Fight for Bernie Marcus and Home Depot!" he added.
Marcus told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in late June that he plans to support Trump in the upcoming presidential election. The 90-year-old was a top donor to Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.
"[Trump’s] got a businessman’s common sense approach to most things," Marcus said. "…Now, do I agree with every move that he makes? No, I don’t. But the truth is he has produced more than anybody else. He has. If we look at this country, I would say that we are better off today than we were eight years ago or six years ago."
Marcus said Trump’s biggest flaw is his communication skills.
"I’ll tell you what he has not done well: His communication sucks. I mean he takes on every battle. He’s fighting. He does things he shouldn’t be doing," he said. "As president of the United States, I’d rather him do things that are meaningful."
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Following the interview, several shoppers took to social media to say they would boycott Home Depot over Marcus' support for Trump, causing the hashtag #BoycottHomeDepot to trend. Some vowed to never step foot in the home improvement store and urged others to shop at competing establishments.
A Home Depot rep recently addressed the boycott calls to MarketWatch, saying Marcus retired from the company more than 15 years ago and does not speak on behalf of the chain.
"Bernie retired from The Home Depot more than 15 years ago and isn’t speaking on behalf of the company. In fact, as a standard practice, the company does not endorse Presidential candidates," the chain’s rep said.
Home Depot co-founder Bernie Marcus has supported President Trump since the 2016 presidential election. (Getty Images/AP)
Marcus, who has an estimated net worth of $5.9 billion by Forbes, also told the newspaper that he plans to donate the majority of his fortune while he’s still alive. The billionaire has donated more than $2 billion to philanthropic causes, including $250 million to build the Georgia Aquarium, and he could give up to $6 billion in his lifetime.
"I want to live to be 100 because I want to be in a position to give it away to those things that I really believe in," Marcus told the newspaper. "I’ve got all the houses I need. I live very well. My kids are taken care of. Everything I live for now is finding the right things to put my money into and that can give me a rate of return in emotion and doing good things for this world."
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Marcus added that when he dies, 80 to 90 percent of his wealth will go to the Marcus Foundation, to fund other organizations geared toward medical discoveries, helping children with autism and veteran support.