Republican businessman Ken Langone on Wednesday sparked last week’s Capitol Hill riots, telling CNBC he felt “betrayed” by President Donald Trump’s actions that led to the fatalities.
“I think the biggest mistake anyone makes is trying to rationalize what happened last week, what the president did, and what that crowd did,” Langone told Squawk Box. “There should be no mitigation. It was horrible. It was wrong. I’m shocked.”
Trump supporters stormed the U.S. Capitol exactly a week ago in an effort to prevent Congress from ending President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College. Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and repeated lies about widespread fraud in the November election helped cheer his supporters, and in a speech in Washington, the president encouraged supporters who gathered in the city to march on the Capitol .
“I feel betrayed,” said Langone, who has been a staunch supporter of Trump’s economic policies over the years, while sometimes criticizing the president, such as his response to the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. , in 2017.
“Last Wednesday was a disgrace,” added Langone, the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot he has given to Republicans over the years. “It should never have happened in this country. If it doesn’t break the heart of every American, something is wrong. It breaks my heart, for sure. I didn’t sign up.”
Langone, who serves as chairman of the board of NYU Langone Medical Center, urged Americans to rally behind Biden and abandon partisanship. “If there’s one moment in history when all Americans need to be patriotic, it’s this moment,” he said.
“I will do everything I can from day one to make sure I do my part to make Joe Biden the most successful president in the history of this country,” Langone said. “There’s a selfish reason for this, that we have to deal with very serious serious problems in the United States,” such as the coronavirus pandemic and public education.
Langone’s comments come as the House of Representatives prepares to vote to accuse Trump again, this time for his role in inciting the Capitol revolt. The Democratic-led effort has garnered the support of some GOP members, including Wyoming Rep. Liz Cheney. She is the third-ranked Republican in the House.
“I don’t care” if Trump is charged, Langone said. “All I care about is one thing: on January 20, Joe Biden will be sworn in as president.”
Asked specifically about Republican members of Congress who voted against ending Biden’s victory, even after the deadly riot, Langone said, “I don’t know what the hell they had in mind, frankly … What was a play the grandstand? “
“There’s going to be a lot of time and I’m sure a lot of energy will be spent on doing what they have to do, whether it’s Trump, those senators or whatever,” Langone added. “In the end, thank God, we are a democracy and voters will have the last word.”