Entrepreneur and former Obama fundraiser Don Peebles admitted Monday that he may not end up supporting Hillary Clinton and the Democratic Party in 2016, while ripping the state of the party in the process.
In an interview with Fox News’ Neil Cavuto, Peebles said that the Democratic Party of today is “not a party of opportunity,” while adding to the shocked host that he may end up supporting former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush for president if he wins the GOP nomination.
“Wait a minute, wait a minute,” Cavuto told Peebles after he spoke highly of Bush. “You’re very complimentary of Jeb Bush. You say you have not committed firmly to Hillary Clinton, but I can’t see you, a close friend, confidant, financial source for the President of the United States, jumping over to a Jeb Bush. So is it just a matter of time before you make it Hillary Clinton?”
“Well, actually, I could,” Peebles said about potentially supporting Bush. “I supported Governor Bush both times when he ran for governor of Florida. He was the most qualified candidate.”
“Governor. That’s very different,” Cavuto said.
“Look, I think the Democrat — I’ve been a lifelong Democrat. Partially, of course, because like many others, my parents were Democrats. So consequently, I became a Democrat very early on,” Peebles said. “However, the Democratic Party that I remember was a party of opportunity. Today’s Democratic Party is not a party of opportunity anymore. If you look on the Republican side, you’ve got nearly a dozen candidates running for president. Here we have — on the Democratic side, we have one candidate essentially dominating the airspace, and they’ve been in politics for 24 years. So that’s not an environment for opportunity.”
Talk of Peebles supporting a Republican comes as a surprise as he served as a top fundraiser for President Barack Obama during the 2012 cycle.
“Wait a minute,” Cavuto said. “Maybe I’ve got it wrong here, and it’s my fault, because you sound as so-so on Hillary Clinton as I do on vegetables. It doesn’t sound like that’s happening.”
“Well I’m frustrated with the Democratic Party,” Peebles said. “They are, look — they’ve been talking about this wealth divide, and frankly, it’s been a divisive discussion dividing the country as opposed to bringing the country together. There have been attacks on affluence. In fact, go back to 2009 when our president criticized those of us in the business world for flying on private jets, and yet he’s spending a quarter of a million dollars to fly on Air Force One per hour and $8 million for a family trip to Europe.”
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