DeSantis Criticized by His Own Megadonor Ken Griffin for ‘Pointless’ ‘Ongoing Struggle With Disney'

Ken Griffin, the prominent Republican billionaire and CEO of Citadel, remains conspicuously absent from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's list of supporters, despite being the largest contributor to DeSantis's 2022 re-election campaign. Griffin's reluctance to support DeSantis was not met well within the GOP, as he shared his perspective in an interview with CNBC.

"I don't know his strategy," Griffin remarked during the interview, adding, "It's not clear to me what voter base he is intending to appeal to." Griffin had previously donated a substantial $5 million to DeSantis's re-election campaign and had publicly expressed his readiness to support a DeSantis presidential campaign, asserting that "our country would be well-served by him as president."

However, Griffin's dissatisfaction with DeSantis's recent campaign activities has become increasingly apparent, with his comments in the CNBC interview serving as his most definitive criticism to date. Griffin is all praises for DeSantis' tenure as first-term governor but was not hesitant in expressing his dismay over the campaigns that went raging. He also raised concern over DeSantis' battle with Disney and called it totally "pointless" as it doesn't represent Florida's consensus.

The dispute between DeSantis and Disney began over a year ago when DeSantis revoked the company's self-governing status in Disney World in response to Disney's opposition to Florida's Parental Rights in Education Law, commonly known as the "Don't Say Gay" law by its critics. Disney later sued the state of Florida and even accused DeSantis of attempting to "weaponize government power."

Despite the ongoing feud, DeSantis told CNBC that he has "basically moved on" from the Disney dispute. The confrontation between him and the entertainment company also led to a weakening of his campaigns against the neck-to-neck competition with Trump. The former president of the United States of America leads the game by a huge margin against his fellow Republican. Currently, DeSantis enjoys the support of approximately 12 to 15% of Republican primary voters nationwide, according to the same polls. Griffin has not yet declared who he favors more regarding the campaigns. His decision holds remarkable weight as he contributes a huge sum of money to the party's political developments.

DeSantis's inability to secure Griffin's support reflects a broader challenge in his quest for the GOP nomination, with Trump's enduring popularity posing a formidable obstacle for other contenders. In his recent posts, DeSantis has been busy promoting himself across the country as he runs against other candidates. The DeSantis campaign has not yet responded to inquiries from Insider regarding Griffin's comments. As he emerges ruthless in a bid to win the political war, it will be interesting to see who gets to be the torchbearer of the Republican Party in the upcoming presidential elections of the United States of America.