The most influential names on Wall Street and where they stand on the 2024 presidential election
While markets and bettors might feel mixed about who’s going to win the 2024 presidential election, some of the most influential names on Wall Street have already voiced their vote.
Here are the players and where they stand when it comes to former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris.
The billionaire hedge fund manager formally endorsed Trump in July, announcing his decision on X. He said he "made this decision carefully" and relied on empirical data for his endorsement.
Since backing Trump, Ackman has been very vocal on social media, and posted on Sunday that: "The election is fundamentally about what kind of world do we want to live in. Do we want free speech, common sense immigration policies, safe streets, peace in Europe and the Middle East, sensible and appropriately limited regulation, a stronger and faster-growing economy… or: Do we want the opposite?"
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Venture capitalist and co-author of Mosaic Marc Andreessen hasn’t announced an official endorsement of either candidate. However, he did donate $2.5 million to the "Right for America" super PAC in October, which supports former President Donald Trump, multiple outlets reported.
Andreessen is known to have close connections with Elon Musk and private equity legend Peter Thiel.
Well-known billionaire and Berkshire Hathaway patriarch Warren Buffett put to rest any rumors about a presidential endorsement last week. The 94-year-old, who was previously linked to backing Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, shared in a company statement that "does not currently and will not prospectively endorse investment products or endorse and support political candidates."
Bridgewater Associates founder Ray Dalio is reportedly more concerned about the state of America post-election, versus which candidate wins the presidential race. He has not endorsed either Trump or Harris.
Dalio told CNBC "both of the candidates worry me. This left, right and fighting each other is a problem as it becomes more of the extremes. I think there needs to be a bringing of Americans together, that middle of that, and making great reforms. … There needs to be a strong leader of the middle, I believe, that makes great reforms. … Neither of the candidates does that for me."
The JPMorgan Chase namesake has not publicly endorsed either candidate, a spokesperson for the bank told CBS News in early October.
However, a New York Times finance reporter spoke to sources close to Dimon, and claimed he’s supporting Harris "privately." And just this weekend, Dimon’s wife Judith Kent went knocking on doors for the Harris-Walz campaign, Bloomberg originally reported.
Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison has stayed mostly quietly during this 2024 election cycle. Though he has not publicly endorsed either candidate, Ellison has a history of donating millions to the Republican Party and backed Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., in the primaries.
Philanthropist Melinda French Gates has publicly backed the vice president, and in July did a round of CBS media appearances to explain why she’s voting for Harris.
Gates said Harris is the "right candidate, right now," and that she’s for "caregiving," noting the vice president’s stances on reproductive rights, paid family leave and minority initiatives.
Hedge fund billionaire and Citadel’s Ken Griffin has been a GOP megadonor since Nikki Haley entered the 2024 race. But, he hasn’t publicly endorsed Trump for president.
However, at the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia last week, Griffin did tell the crowd that he was expecting Trump to win.
The chairman, CEO and co-founder of Blackstone exclusively told Axios in May that he is endorsing former President Trump. He called his vote for Trump "a vote for change," and voiced concerns over rising antisemitism and Biden’s handling of the economy and immigration.
"For these reasons, I am planning to vote for change and support Donald Trump for President. In addition, I will be supporting Republican Senate candidates and other Republicans up and down the ticket," he told Axios.
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Billionaire investor and Appaloosa Management founder David Tepper has not made a public endorsement for the 2024 presidential race, but previously backed Hillary Clinton in 2016.
As the owner of the NFL’s Carolina Panthers, it’s likely he won’t want to pick a side between Trump or Harris. But U.S. Federal Election Commission individual contribution data shows Tepper last donated $1.1 million to a Nikki Haley super PAC in February.