Legendary American Entrepreneur Passes Away At 95

Bernie Marcus, who founded the American hardware giant Home Depot, has passed away at the age of 95.

Marcus, the son of impoverished Russian immigrants who was raised in New Jersey, went on to become a self-made billionaire with a net worth of over $11 billion, according to Forbes. He built his fortune by founding Home Depot in conjunction with Arthur Blank in 1978, along with the support of financier Ken Langone.

The legendary American entrepreneur was also an early supporter of former President Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and a longtime donor to Republican/conservative causes.

(FOCUS GROUP: Do You Blame KAMALA or TRUMP for record inflation?)

In an interview with Fox Business back in November, Marcus slammed President Biden’s economic policies, particularly over the massive spike in cost of living that has made life difficult for middle class Americans. Polling has long found that at least two thirds of likely voters believe the nation’s economic situation is declining, including a recent Gallup poll that found just 26 percent of Americans believe the country is on the right track.

“I never anticipated anything like what we’re going through,” Marcus said of Biden at the time. “I wake up every morning and I say, ‘What is this dunce going to do today?’” Marcus told Fox Business in what was one of his final interviews.

“He cut back drilling, he caused the inflation, the inflation caused every other problem for every businessman, for every American,” Marcus said. “And the people that he’s supposed to represent – the poor people, the middle class – they’re getting killed today.”

In addition to his political advocacy, Marcus used his fortune to launch several charitable endeavors. He founded the Job Creators Network, a small business advocacy group, more than a decade ago. “Job Creators Network is a nonpartisan organization whose mission is to protect Main Street and the 90 million people who depend on the success of small businesses,” reads the organization’s mission statement.

“JCN provides business leaders and entrepreneurs with the tools to become the voice of free enterprise in the media, in Congress, in state capitals, in their communities, and their workplaces—allowing them to hold politicians accountable to job creators and their employees.”

JCN CEO Alfredo Ortiz paid tribute to Marcus as “one of the great American business success stories” after news of his passing broke. “But Bernie was so much more than a businessman. He was a visionary, a philanthropist, and a dedicated family man. While The Home Depot grew to become one of the nation’s largest businesses, Bernie never forgot the importance of small businesses to the economy and the country as a whole. He generously tasked JCN with preserving the small business economy against relentless big government attacks.”

Marcus, along with his wife Billi, also founded the Marcus Foundation, which has given more than $2 billion to various charitable causes. “Bernie Marcus’s legendary business success is matched only by his generous philanthropy,” said Elaine Parker, president of Job Creators Network Foundation. “He didn’t just give back but paid it forward, helping preserve the free-market economy that enables the next generation of Home Depots.”

“Bernie recognized that small businesses and entrepreneurship are the lifeblood of the American economy,” she added. “And the best way to protect them is by defending capitalism, the only economic system that allows ordinary people to become entrepreneurs and financially independent.”

(CHAOS: Costco Sells Out Of Gold Bars As Economic Uncertainty Grips Markets)