‘I Am Sold’: Anti-Trumper Completely Flips, Praises President’s Second Term

Billionaire Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone—once one of President Trump’s harshest Republican critics—has gone all in on Trump’s second term.

“Look, let me tell you right now, I am sold on Trump,” Langone said during a live interview with CNBC. “In fact, I’ll say this. I think he’s got a good shot at going down in history as one of our best presidents ever.”

Langone’s full-throated endorsement is a far cry from where he stood just months ago. Though he initially backed Trump during the 2016 GOP primary, Langone turned on the president following the January 6 Capitol riot, calling Trump’s post-election rhetoric a “betrayal.” He continued to donate to Republican causes—but was vocally skeptical of Trump’s leadership, particularly his economic policies.

Most recently, Langone slammed Trump’s aggressive trade strategy in April. He called the newly proposed 46% tariffs on Vietnam and 34% on China “bulls–t” and warned they would “fuel inflation” and damage American consumers. At the time, he urged Trump to scale back to a 10% across-the-board rate and pursue direct talks instead.

But something has changed.

“I tell you the reason. I want to tell you, I’m a believer,” Langone said. “What I’m seeing happening is absolutely nothing short of a great thing. And there’s a beat. People are walking with more bounce… It’s all around.”

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The remarks came as the Trump economy continues to defy mainstream expectations.

Following Trump’s calm address after the attack, Langone praised his composure and said it allowed him to “carve a very significant place in history.”

Perhaps most telling was Langone’s reaction to Trump’s high-stakes foreign policy move last month. On June 21, the president ordered a massive airstrike campaign targeting Iran’s Fordow, Natanz, and Isfahan nuclear facilities using bunker-buster bombs and Tomahawk missiles, coordinated in part with Israel’s broader military campaign in the region.

It was a bold, calculated move that risked retaliation across the Middle East, but has so far yielded measured strategic gains.

Langone recounted a conversation with a pilot involved in the mission: “One of the pilots on that miraculous trip to Iran that we wiped out, whatever the hell we wiped out, he said, ‘You’re the only guy in the presidency that would have done what you did.’”

Langone continued, “And you know what? He’s probably right.”

It was a rare moment of humility for the famously outspoken billionaire. When reminded by CNBC’s Joe Kernen that he once opposed Trump in a “binary choice” election, Langone didn’t flinch.

“Knowledge implies one thing. When you made a mistake, admit it,” Langone said. “I think this guy is turning out to be a president.”

Trump’s second term has so far been defined by deportations and aggressive tariffs—Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the EU, and China have all been hit with steep duties ranging from 30% to over 50%—as well as a decisive foreign policy. Critics, including Elon Musk and Bill Ackman, fear economic fallout. But Langone now sees it differently: a president finally acting with boldness and purpose.

For someone once labeled a “reluctant Trump voter,” Langone’s pivot may mark one of the most significant elite endorsements of the Trump presidency so far. The billionaire class is watching—and some may be reconsidering their own stance.

As Langone put it plainly, “I am sold on Trump.”