Bernie Marcus, the co-founder of Home Depot, has died at the age of 95.
Marcus, who grew up in New Jersey, was the youngest son of poor Russian immigrants and became a self-made billionaire with a net worth of over $11 billion, per Forbes, after founding the home improvement chain with Arthur Blank in 1978, with the support of investor Ken Langone.
Marcus, a longtime donor to the Republican National Committee, according to federal election records, was an early supporter of former President Donald Trump.
In one of his last interviews in November 2023, Marcus spoke with FOX Business senior correspondent Charlie Gasparino in a wide-ranging interview in which he blasted President Biden’s economic policies for exacerbating the rise in prices that consumers are facing.
| Ticker | Security | Last | Change | Change % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HD | THE HOME DEPOT INC. | 395.57 | +2.98 | +0.76% |
“I never anticipated anything like what we’re going through,” Marcus said of Biden at the time. “I wake up every morning and I say, ‘What is this dunce going to do today?’”
“He cut back drilling, he caused the inflation, the inflation caused every other problem for every businessman, for every American,” Marcus said. “And the people that he’s supposed to represent – the poor people, the middle class – they’re getting killed today.”
FULL INTERVIEW: HOME DEPOT CO-FOUNDER BERNIE MARCUS
Marcus and his wife Billi, who founded the Marcus Foundation, have given more than $2 billion to various causes.
The couple is also part of “The Giving Pledge” along with Warren Buffett, Bill Gates, Elon Musk and other wealthy individuals. The organization supports philanthropists who commit to giving a majority of their wealth to charity.
Home Depot went public in 1981 for $12 per share and is trading around $395 a share as of Tuesday. It has over 2,000 stores and employs more than 500,000.
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