by John Solomon
Bernard “Bernie” Marcus, who helped build The Home Depot into one of America’s most iconic brands before turning to philanthropy and conservative politics and unabashedly backing Donald Trump’s rise in politics, died Monday night at the age of 95.
Marcus’ death was confirmed to Just the News by a family friend Tuesday morning.
Marcus established The Home Depot with co-founder Arthur Blank in 1978, growing the orange-clad store into a $400 billion hardware giant that became one of Americas largest employers with 2,300 stores.
Later in life, Marcus marshaled his billions in personal fortune to wage significant philanthropic efforts, from helping to fund a new aquarium in his beloved Atlanta to pushing groundbreaking medical research and conservative political organizations like the Job Creators Network that gave voice to Main Street America’s small business community.
He also became one of the earliest backers of Trump in 2015, a trusted voice inside Trump campaigns and White House and a large donor to his campaigns and other conservative causes.
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John Solomon is an award-winning investigative journalist, author and digital media entrepreneur who serves as Chief Executive Officer and Editor in Chief of Just the News. Before founding Just the News, Solomon played key reporting and executive roles at some of America’s most important journalism institutions, such as The Associated Press, The Washington Post, The Washington Times, Newsweek, The Daily Beast and The Hill.
Photo “Bernie Marcus” by Home Depot.
