The GOP megadonor founder of investment giant Blackstone Inc. has hesitated about donating to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis after meeting with the would-be Republican presidential candidate in Tallahassee.
The exploratory trip failed to convince billionaire Stephen Schwarzman that DeSantis is ready to command the national stage, Bloomberg reported.
DeSantis — who is expected to announce his presidential candidacy early next month — has battled listless polling numbers while struggling to coax high-profile endorsements.
A growing number of vital GOP donors — including Schwarzman — appear unsure that DeSantis can topple former President Donald Trump for party supremacy.
Schwarzman hasn’t donated to DeSantis, 44, in any of his previous congressional or gubernatorial contests, according to Bloomberg.
A longtime friend of the 76-year-old Trump, Schwarzman advised the former president on economic matters and served as chair of his White House Strategic and Policy Forum.
But he later sought to distance himself from the 45th president, particularly after the January 6, 2021 riot at the US Capitol.
Schwarzman openly called for new voices in both major political parties this past January.
“We need to move on for both parties to the next generation of leaders,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg’s Wall Street Week at the World Economic Forum in Davos.
The investment titan isn’t the only influential GOP benefactor to harbor some DeSantis doubts.
Gristedes CEO John Catsimitidis, Citadel chief Ken Griffin and Brokers founder Thomas Peterffy have all either declined to endorse him for president or are still mulling their options, according to reports.
While he’s lauded many of DeSantis’ policies, Republican tech mogul Peter Thiel has said he won’t back any candidate in the 2024 primary, according to Reuters.
But despite these mounting headwinds, DeSantis still boasts a formidable campaign war chest of more than $110 million and remains widely popular among rank-and-file conservative voters.
While some GOP figures bemoan his starring role in the nation’s culture wars, DeSantis has continued to press and pass new legislation on flashpoint issues ranging from trans surgeries for minors to critical race theory.
“There is a lot of noise right now,” a DeSantis source told The Post Wednesday. “Polls, donors, this, that. He is just continuing to govern and get things accomplished. It’s early, and he’s just getting ready to fight. Dismiss him at your peril.”
The source added he expects new endorsements of DeSantis to roll in as Trump’s polling figures recede.
“He got a boost from the indictment, he was made a sympathetic character thanks to [Manhattan DA] Alvin Bragg,” the person said. “That’s going to fade as things get serious here and people realize what’s at stake and who is capable of actually getting things done.”