Home Depot Billionaire and Conservative Giant Dies at 95

America just lost one of its most vocal champions of free enterprise and conservative values. Bernie Marcus, billionaire co-founder of Home Depot and a stalwart supporter of American capitalism, passed away at 95, the company announced Tuesday.

Marcus, an outspoken conservative donor and defender of the American dream, leaves behind a retail empire and a legacy of fierce advocacy for traditional American values. “The entire Home Depot family is deeply saddened by the death of our cofounder Bernie Marcus,” the company said, calling his impact “immeasurable.”

A true self-made billionaire, Marcus grew up in Newark, New Jersey, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants. He knew hard work from the start, eventually founding Home Depot with Arthur Blank in 1978.

What began as one store in Atlanta exploded into a $400 billion retail powerhouse with over 2,300 locations—an icon of American business built on the backs of hardworking Americans. Marcus never forgot who he was fighting for: the workers, the customers, and the everyday citizens who made Home Depot the success it became.

But Marcus’s influence wasn’t confined to the business world. A proud conservative, Marcus poured millions into Republican campaigns and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with leaders like John McCain, Ron DeSantis, and Donald Trump. Marcus didn’t just write checks; he took to Fox News and Fox Business, unapologetically championing Trump’s vision for America.

When liberals tried to organize boycotts against Home Depot in 2016 and 2019 due to Marcus’s pro-Trump stance, he held firm. His commitment to conservative ideals ran deep, and he never wavered.

In his later years, Marcus sounded the alarm on what he saw as the decline of American values. In a bold 2022 interview with the Financial Times, he warned, “Nobody works. Nobody gives a damn. ‘Just give it to me,’” slamming the “woke” ideologies he said were dismantling America’s work ethic. And as for the attacks on free speech? “The woke people have taken over the world… I’m 93. Who gives a crap about Bernie Marcus?”

Beyond politics and business, Marcus gave generously to causes that mattered to him, from Jewish organizations to the Marcus Autism Center and a $250 million gift that built the iconic Georgia Aquarium. His philanthropy matched his patriotism, all part of his enduring legacy as a man who believed in America, invested in its people, and stood for its values.