Seth Klarman ’79 — whose family’s gift to the University was the primary funding for construction of Klarman Hall — announced this month that he will support former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s campaign to defeat Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
This endorsement diverges from Klarman’s recent giving trends. He, along with his wife Beth, were among the top donors to U.S. conservative causes in 2014, according to the Boston Globe.
In an announcement, Klarman said he “knew that [he] could never support someone like Donald Trump,” adding that some of Trump’s recent inflammatory statements have further convinced him that the Republican nominee is unfit to be president.
Some of Trump’s recent language is “so shockingly unacceptable in our diverse and democratic society that it is simply unthinkable that Donald Trump could become our president,” Klarman said in a press release from Baupost, a hedge fund that he helms as president.
Klarman characterized Trump’s suggestion that the general election will be “rigged” as “particularly dangerous.”
Klarman, who gave $5,400 to Clinton’s campaign in June, said he plans to continue backing Clinton as the election approaches.
“I will continue to find ways to support Hillary Clinton and defeat Donald Trump,” he said.