Republican businessman Ken Langone on Wednesday attacked the Capitol Hill riot last week, telling CNBC that he felt “betrayed” by President Donald Trump’s actions that led to the deadly events.
“I think the biggest mistake anyone will make 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 attenuation. It was horrible. It was wrong. I’m shocked.”
Trump’s supporters passed the US Chapter exactly a week ago in an effort to stop Congress from finalizing President-elect Joe Biden’s victory in the Electoral College. Trump’s incendiary rhetoric and repeated lies about widespread fraud in November voters helped support his supporters, and in a speech in Washington, the president encouraged supporters who gathered in the city to go to the Capitol.
“I feel betrayed,” said Langone, who has strongly supported Trump’s economic policies over the years, sometimes criticizing the president, such as his response to the deadly white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. 2017.
“Last Wednesday was a disgrace,” added Langone, the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot who donated to Republicans over the years. “It should never have happened in this country. If it doesn’t break every American’s heart, something’s wrong. It breaks my heart, for sure. I didn’t sign up for it.”
Langone, who serves as chairman of the board of NYU Langone Medical Center, urged Americans to gather behind Biden and give up partisanship. “If there is a time in history when all Americans must be patriotic, this is the time,” 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 is a selfish reason for this, we have very serious major problems in America to solve,” such as the coronavirus pandemic and public education.
Langone’s comments come as the House of Representatives prepares to vote to impute Trump again, a second time for his role in inciting the Capitol revolt. The Democratic-led effort has won the support of several GOP members, including Wyoming’s Liz Cheney. She’s the third Republican in the house.
“I don’t care” if Trump is charged, Langone said. “All I care about is one thing: 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 uprising, Langone said, “I don’t know what the hell they had in mind, honestly. … What was a tribune piece? “
“It’s going to be a long time and I’m sure there’s going to be a lot of energy spent doing what it has to do, whether it’s Trump, those senators or whatever,” Langone added. “At the end of the day, thank God, we are a democracy and voters will have the last word.”