The second largest Republican mega-donor stands behind DeSantis for president, saying it's time to 'move on' from Trump, Politico reports

• Citadel CEO Ken Griffin said it was time to "move on" from former President Donald Trump.

• The conservative donor put his support behind Gov. Ron DeSantis instead.

• Neither Trump nor DeSantis has confirmed whether they will run for president in 2024.

As the increasingly public rivalry between Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and former President Donald Trump heats up, the Republican mega-donor and CEO of investment firm Citadel has said he is prepared to support DeSantis should he decide to run for president.

"I don't know what [DeSantis] going to do. It's a huge personal decision," Ken Griffin told Politico in an interview published Sunday. "He has a tremendous record as governor of Florida, and our country would be well-served by him as president."

Griffin also took a jab at Trump, saying it was time for the country to look past the Truth Social founder to make way for newer candidates. Griffin used similar phrasing in an interview with Bloomberg last year, saying he wanted the country to "move on" from Trump.

"He did a lot of things really well and missed the mark on some important areas," Griffin told Politico. "And for a litany of reasons, I think it's time to move on to the next generation."

Griffin, the third largest political donor this midterm season behind liberal donor George Soros and right-wing donor Richard Uihlein, is the top donor to DeSantis' 2022 gubernatorial campaign, donating $5 million for his reelection, according to Politico.

Video: How GOP convention speeches have changed

DeSantis has refused to answer whether or not he would run for president in 2024. During a debate against his Democrat opponent Charlie Crist on Oct. 24, he avoided the question altogether by insulting his opponent as a "worn-out old donkey."

Trump, on the other hand, has hinted multiple times at a 2024 run, and said he would announce his campaign in a "very, very, very short period of time." According to Axios, the former president will likely launch his presidential campaign on Nov. 14, a week after the midterms.

During a campaign rally in Pennsylvania Saturday, Trump debuted a nickname for DeSantis, which he often does for political rivals: Ron DeSanctimonious.

But on Sunday, Trump endorsed DeSantis, setting the beef aside ahead of the midterms.

Representatives for Trump and DeSantis did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

Read the original article on Business Insider