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- Barry Diller called out ultrarich Americans who support Trump for economic reasons.
- The IAC chairman said those people were ignoring Trump’s character flaws in pursuit of financial gain.
- Both Trump and Harris have pitched tax breaks ahead of this year’s presidential election.
Barry Diller criticized other ultrawealthy Americans for backing former president Donald Trump for economic reasons when they don’t need any more money.
Diller, the billionaire chairman of Expedia and InterActiveCorp, told the “Fire and Fury” podcast that longtime residents of New York City have watched Trump for decades and “know he is and always has been a con man, seller of various things that benefit himself, full stop.”
Referring to Trump’s wealthy donors, he added: “None of them talk about character. These are wildly wealthy people, yes, and how can they justify for economic purpose after they’ve done so very well themselves?”
Diller is a media industry veteran who’s led companies including Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and USA Networks over the years. He’s a major donor to the Democratic party and has publicly endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
He told podcast host Michael Wolff that he recently urged television anchor Andrew Ross Sorkin to ask billionaire investor and Trump supporter John Paulson about Trump’s character, but he didn’t answer the question and changed the subject instead.
Paulson said in the same interview that he would sell stocks and buy gold if Harris won the election in November.
Diller said it was amazing that “people who don’t need another nickel, to say the least, actually refuse to discuss character in this election and only seem to be supportive on pure economic terms for themselves.”
Paulson and the Trump campaign didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.
Trump has made cutting taxes a core part of his election campaign. He said he would extend tax cuts from his first administration and seek to eliminate taxes on tips, overtime pay, and Social Security benefits.
A recent study by the non-partisan group Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget found that Trump’s promised tax cuts, tariffs, and other policy proposals would add $7.5 trillion to the deficit over the next decade.
Harris has also offered tax breaks and financial aid for groups including first-time homebuyers and young families. The CRFB study found that Harris’ policy proposals would add $3.5 trillion to the deficit.