GOP megadonor Stephen Schwarzman defects from Trump after 2024 announcement - Axios

Stephen Schwarzman — chairman, CEO and co-founder of private-equity elephantine Blackstone — says successful a connection to Axios that he's defecting from erstwhile President Trump for the 2024 statesmanlike race.

Driving the news: "America does amended erstwhile its leaders are rooted successful contiguous and tomorrow, not contiguous and yesterday," Schwarzman says.

• "It is clip for the Republican Party to crook to a caller procreation of leaders and I mean to enactment 1 of them successful the statesmanlike primaries."

Why it matters: This is simply a large defection by a GOP megadonor who was adjacent to Trump — precise engaged with him connected commercialized issues — and had existent propulsion successful the Trump White House.

The large picture: It's the second GOP megadonor to travel retired against Trump successful 2 weeks.

• Ken Griffin — the billionaire laminitis of the Citadel hedge fund, who had praised Trump policies — endorsed Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis past week.
• Griffin, who moved Citadel's office to Miami this year, told Bloomberg yesterday that Trump is simply a "three-time loser."

Between the lines: Two of the country's largest and astir influential Republican donors are looking for a next-generation candidate.

• Trump doesn't request the money. But the statements by Schwarzman and Griffin are apt to springiness screen and backbone to immoderate Republican elected officials to determination on.

Another apical Trump backer — his ain girl — announced her detachment from his governmental vocation past night.

• Ivanka Trump, a erstwhile White House official, said connected Instagram, arsenic her dada announced his 3rd tally for president:

I emotion my begetter precise much. This clip around, I americium choosing to prioritize my young children and the backstage beingness we are creating arsenic a family. I bash not program to beryllium progressive successful politics. While I volition ever emotion and enactment my father, going guardant I volition bash truthful extracurricular the governmental arena. I americium grateful to person had the grant of serving the American radical and I volition ever beryllium arrogant of galore of our Administration's accomplishments.