Blackstone Billionaire Declines to Back DeSantis After Meeting Him: Report

Stephen Schwarzman, the chief executive of Blackstone and a Republican megadonor, came out of a recent meeting with Ron DeSantis unconvinced of the Florida governor’s chances in 2024, according to Bloomberg News. Schwarzman traveled to Tallahassee sometime over the last few weeks to assess the governor, people briefed on the matter told the outlet. Though the exact nature of the impression DeSantis made was unclear, it reportedly wasn’t enough to secure Schwarzman’s support. A onetime backer of Donald Trump, Schwarzman disaffiliated himself from the former president last November, telling Axios, “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 primaries.” Schwartzman has met nearly all of the current contenders for the Republican nomination, according to a Blackstone spokesperson, but people familiar with the matter said he remains undecided on any of them. A former colleague told Bloomberg that Schwarzman is only interested in supporting a winner.