Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, the billionaire Home Depot cofounder and a Republican megadonor, who in recent years became an outspoken supporter of former President Donald Trump, has died, the company announced Tuesday. He was 95.
An outspoken Republican, Marcus has donated millions of dollars to the campaigns of right-wing politicians, including the late John McCain, current Florida governor Ron DeSantis and Trump.
Later in his life, he frequently made appearances on right-wing television shows on Fox News and Fox Business, often talking about his support of Trump’s presidential aspirations. Some Trump opponents attempted to launch a boycott of The Home Depot in 2016 and in 2019 because of Marcus’ support of the Republican nominee for president.
Marcus also said in 2022 in an interview with the Financial Times that he was “worried about capitalism” and that because of what he called the spread of “socialism” in America, “nobody works. Nobody gives a damn. ‘Just give it to me. Send me money. I don’t want to work — I’m too lazy, I’m too fat, I’m too stupid.’”
“We used to have free speech here. We don’t have it,” Marcus told the newspaper. “The woke people have taken over the world. You know, I imagine today they can’t attack me. I’m 93. Who gives a crap about Bernie Marcus?”
My one slight praise for capitalism is that it will evaporate all of his accomplishments into thin air and nobody will remember his ass in a year. All that time, energy, and money ultimately will amount to nothing except a small corporate founder cult within HD.
Sadly I'm reminded of a few awful people in history (like people who hired violent/murderous strike breakers) who simply opened up places like libraries and now no one knows the bad stuff they did, or at best just call them 'controversial'.
It's laughably easy to be a Great Man of History; just build a bunch of useless but decorative buildings and slather your name somewhere. See: Europe and/or college campuses. You can even achieve a first-name remembrance if you (*gasp!*) do something a little non-capitalist. The bar is so low
could beat me with it, and somehow modern capitalists are flummoxed every time.
Ironically it was a Marxist analysis that could explain why Old Money absolutely loathes New Money.
The Transport Tycoon “bulldoze half a town then plant trees until the town likes you again” strat
Oof