CNBC reports:

Billionaire and GOP megadonor Ronald Lauder won’t help finance Donald Trump’s 2024 campaign for president, his spokesman told CNBC on Wednesday.

Lauder, an heir to the Estée Lauder fortune, is the latest Republican megadonor to distance himself from Trump as the former president launches a third bid for the White House. Lauder contributed almost $100,000 to the Republican National Committee in 2019 when the political organization was helping Trump get reelected, according the nonpartisan campaign finance watchdog OpenSecrets.

Lauder has known Trump since college, and the two have been close for years. Lauder reportedly spoke to Trump while he was president about the idea of the U.S. buying Greenland. Lauder joins Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman, Citadel CEO Ken Griffin and wealthy businessman Andy Sabin, who have said they won’t back Trump’s new campaign for president. [Continue reading…]

The Hill reports:

Former Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Wednesday that former President Trump is unfit for office, and he does not want him to run for president in 2024.

Esper said on “CNN This Morning” that both parties should move on to a “next generation of leaders” who can unify the country and work on policy issues instead of personal attacks.

“I wish he wouldn’t,” Esper said, referring to Trump’s announcement Tuesday night that he is making another bid for the White House. “I think he’s unfit for office.” [Continue reading…]