Blackstone CEO and co-founder Stephen Schwarzman revealed Friday that he will support former President Donald Trump in 2024, after previously distancing himself from Trump leading the GOP primary.
“I share the concern of most Americans that our economic, immigration and foreign policies are moving the country in the wrong direction,” Schwarzman told Fox News Digital in a statement published for the first time. reported by Axios on Friday.
“For these reasons, I plan to vote for change and support Donald Trump for president. In addition, I will support the Republican Senate candidates and other Republicans from top to bottom.”
Schwarzman, who briefly chaired Trump's Strategic and Policy Forum, added that the “dramatic rise of anti-Semitism has led me to focus with greater urgency on the implications of the upcoming election.”
BILLIONAIRE WHO HELPED TRUMP WITH A $175 MILLION BOND SAYS HE 'PROBABLY DIDN'T DO ENOUGH'
Blackstone CEO Stephen Schwarzman and former President Donald Trump (Getty Images)
President Biden has been heavily criticized by Republicans, including Trump, for not doing enough to combat anti-Semitism, especially with his response to anti-Israel protests that have erupted on college campuses nationwide in recent months.
Schwarzman, who co-founded the private equity firm Blackstone in 1985 and is worth an estimated $39 billion, opposed the idea of Trump running for president again when he said in 2022 that it was time for the Republican Party to move in a new direction.
“America does better when its leaders are rooted in today and tomorrow, not today and yesterday,” Schwarzman said. “It is time for the Republican Party to turn to a new generation of leaders and I intend to support one of them in the presidential election.”
VP HOPES DELLERS CALL FOR DOLLARS AS THEY SHOW OFF THEIR FUNDRAISING BATTLE FOR TRUMP
US President Donald Trump (R) delivers opening remarks at the start of a policy forum with business leaders chaired by Blackstone Group CEO Stephen Schwarzman (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
Fox News Digital reached out to the Trump and Biden campaigns for comment but did not receive a response.
Big-money GOP donors have rallied around Trump in recent months as the former president tries to close the cash gap with the Biden campaign.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Former President Donald Trump holds a rally in the historic Democratic district of the South Bronx in New York City on May 23, 2024. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
Biden had regularly surpassed Trump in monthly fundraising until April, when he was surpassed by Trump for the first time this cycle.
Trump's April harvest was boosted by a record $50.5 million the former president's campaign raised early in the month at a single event with top-dollar GOP donors hosted at billionaire investor's home John Paulson in Palm Beach, Florida.
Paul Steinhauser of Fox News Digital contributed to this report
