He spent nearly $6 million in an effort to prevent Donald Trump from winning the Republican Party’s presidential nomination.
Now TD Ameritrade founder Joe Ricketts has decided that if he can’t beat the Trump Train, he might as well join it. The former financial backer of the #NeverTrump faction announced this week he’s going to donate $1 million to the GOP candidate’s surging presidential campaign.
“The Ricketts decided they could not sit back and watch Hillary Clinton become the next president of the United States,” longtime Ricketts political strategist Brian Baker told The Wall Street Journal. “Even though the Ricketts supported other candidates during the primary, they believe it is time to unite behind the nominees … This is all about helping Republicans win in the fall.”
Joe and his wife, Marlene, donated several million dollars to former Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s failed presidential bid. They then donated more than $5 million to an anti-Trump advertising campaign run by the Our Principles PAC—a group which supported U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) in the GOP primary.
Their son, Pete, is governor of Nebraska, while another son, Tom, is the owner of the Chicago Cubs baseball team. Pete Ricketts endorsed Trump in May.
