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Trump claims he has β€˜never been a fan' of Ken Langone, Home Depot co-founder who backed Nikki Haley

Ken Langone.
Anjali Sundaram | CNBC
  • Former President Donald Trump claimed to CNBC that he had "never been a fan" of Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone.
  • Trump's comments mark the latest break in what appeared to be, at one time, an alliance between the two men.
  • The criticism came in response to Langone's recent comment that he feared a second Trump term would be "four years of getting even."

Donald Trump claimed in an interview on CNBC that he had "never been a fan" of Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone, the billionaire investor who endorsed the former president's primary challenger, Nikki Haley.

Trump's critique was prompted by a clip aired during his Monday appearance on "Squawk Box."

"I worry if Trump wins, it's going to be four years of getting even," Langone said in the clip.

"Well, look, I've never been a fan of Ken," Trump said. "I don't know if he supported me … because I was the only one that he could support … but I've never been a fan."

Trump's comments on Langone mark the latest break in an alliance that appeared strong just four years ago.

In 2020, Trump raved about Langone on social media, calling him a "great American." Trump and Langone were in contact in 2020 during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to archived records of the former president's schedule.

Langone gave $100,000 to Trump's 2017 presidential inaugural committee, according to data from the nonprofit Open Secrets.

In a separate interview in January, Langone said he would not support Trump if the former president were the Republican nominee.

Langone donated $500,000 last year to a pro-Haley super PAC, while the former South Carolina governor was still running the GOP primary.

Langone co-founded Home Depot more than 40 years ago, and he has a net worth of upward of $8 billion, according to Forbes. He serves as chairman of the board of trustees of New York University Langone Health.

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