Tipsheet

At 94, Home Depot Co-Founder Explains Why He's 'Never Been More Frightened for This Country'

Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, explained earlier this month why he’s “never been more frightened for this country” in his life. At 94 years old, that’s saying a lot. 

“If you look at what's going on around you, you know that we're falling apart. Our economy is falling apart,” he told an audience in Palm Beach, Florida during an event for Job Creators Network, which he founded 10 years ago.

“I get up every morning, I swear to God, and I say, ‘what the hell is [President Biden] going to do today to kill our country? And he never fails to disappoint me. Something always happens every day that makes this country weaker, not stronger,” Marcus added. 

He explained how different America was when he started Home Depot. Of course it was challenging, but the world then allowed them to succeed. Now, small businesses are being crushed by inflation. 

Marcus called on all those in attendance to do everything possible to save the free market from socialism—because under such a system, small businesses “will not survive.” 

And the upcoming election is key to changing the trajectory of this nation because no change can happen out of power, he noted.  

“Get off your asses and work hard. Don't sit back,” he implored. “Invest yourself. Go out and work and commit yourself to saving this democracy.”

Marcus said going back to the "old America" is key, which is in line with his recent endorsement of former President Trump as the right man for the job. 

"We have to go back. Trump was right," he said. "We have to clean the place out. And we need someone who's going to have a lot of cojones to do it."

In an op-ed for RealClearPolitics, Marcus argued that people "cannot let [Trump's] brash style be the reason we walk away from his otherwise excellent stewardship of the United States during his first term in office.”

Not only does Marcus believe the 45th president has the best shot at winning in the general election, he also argued Trump's "the best person to take on and dismantle the administrative state that is strangling America.”