Home Depot co-founder and GOP megadonor Bernard “Bernie” Marcus has passed away at the age of 95 years old.
Marcus, who was worth a whopping $7 billion or more, opened his first hardware store with Arthur Blank in 1978. Marcus met Blank while working at a home improvement store in California, where both of them were ultimately fired after new management took over the business. They soon realized that there needed to be significant changes to the hardware store business model, prompting them to create Home Depot. The hardware store chain has since expanded to a staggering 2,300 stores, and Home Depot is now worth almost half a trillion dollars.
The business tycoon and GOP megadonor was born in New Jersey in 1929 to Russian-Jewish immigrant parents, and received his education at Rutgers University, where he studied merchandising and marketing. Marcus served as the CEO of Home Depot until 1997, then served as the company’s chairman until 2022, when he retired.
Home Depot has issued a statement on X mourning Marcus’ passing, which read: “The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our co-founder Bernie Marcus. He’s left us with an invaluable legacy and the backbone of our company: our values and our culture. He will be tremendously missed.”
The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our co-founder Bernie Marcus. He’s left us with an invaluable legacy and the backbone of our company: our values and our culture. He will be tremendously missed. https://t.co/qdgssDmBdX pic.twitter.com/yaA79cGlea
— The Home Depot (@HomeDepot) November 5, 2024
Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk also posted on X about Marcus’ passing, writing: “Rest in Peace to my friend Bernie Marcus who passed away last night at 95. He was the living embodiment of the American Dream, starting Home Depot as a career change when he was nearly 50. I’m sad he won’t get to see how the story ends today, but I’m grateful for his love of this country and his support of TPUSA along the way. May God bless the Marcus family.”
Rest in Peace to my friend Bernie Marcus who passed away last night at 95. He was the living embodiment of the American Dream, starting Home Depot as a career change when he was nearly 50. I’m sad he won’t get to see how the story ends today, but I’m grateful for his love of this… pic.twitter.com/avSEimOYgR
— Charlie Kirk (@charliekirk11) November 5, 2024
Marcus has a long history of philanthropy and political donations. According to CNN, he donated billions of dollars to many causes that mattered most to him, which included medical organizations and Jewish organizations.
The outlet also reported that Marcus had donated a “$250 million grant that helped open the famous Georgia Aquarium in 2005,” while also donating millions to Republican candidates including former President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The GOP megadonor was also not afraid to speak out against the spread of wokeness and the rising support for socialism among the left, stating in a 2022 interview with the Financial Times that he was “worried about capitalism” disappearing from the U.S.
“Nobody works. Nobody gives a damn,” he told the outlet. “‘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 added. “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?”
He also issued a strong endorsement for Trump in late 2023, which included a warning that the U.S. was in danger after being taken over by bad Democrat policy.
“Many of our once-great cities have devolved into lawlessness with random violent attacks on innocent people, rampant looting, and large-scale homeless encampments,” he said. “There are rarely consequences for the wrongdoers because George Soros-elected prosecutors across America refuse to prosecute them.”
“Moreover, our southern border is unprotected, and millions of people we know nothing about pour into our nation to receive care and benefits that we cannot afford to provide to our struggling military veterans,” Marcus added. “Worse, many of the border crossers may be gang members who commit violent crimes here. Schoolchildren across America cannot read, write, or do basic math, while our educational leaders tell us that they know better than parents how to raise our children.”
The GOP megadonor went on to explain that inflation was having serious consequences for struggling American families.
“Sadly, I see these freedoms and values being eroded today as government gets bigger and weaponized against its political opponents,” Marcus added.
He concluded by explaining that he chose to endorse Trump because he believed that he was “the best person to take on and dismantle the administrative state that is strangling America.”
