Media magnate Rupert Murdoch met with Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin twice to personally encourage him to start a campaign for the White House.
The 92-year-old Australian magnate met with the rising GOP player, who only held Virginia’s highest political office in 2021, at least twice this year, according to several sources connected with the Washington Post.
The date of the first meeting was unclear, while the second took place in the spring.
The revelation of the encounters comes after it was previously reported that Murdoch had privately told close circles that he wanted to see Virginia’s 74th governor throw his hat into the ring.
Youngkin, a former private equity executive at the Carlyle group, has kept quiet about his ambitions for a senior position this year, saying in May he had no plans to run “this year.”
Glenn Youngkin, a former private equity manager at the Carlyle group, has been silent about his ambitions for a senior position
Rupert Murdoch, the 92-year-old Australian tycoon (pictured in London in June), has a vast empire of media outlets around the world
But Axios reported that if he announces his 2024 presidential bid, he will only do so if the Republican party wins in Virginia’s Senate race in November.
The outlet also reported that Murdoch isn’t the only wealthy man to support Youngkin, claiming that two billionaires, Ronald Lauder and Thomas Peterffy, are among GOP donors willing to support his potential presidential bid.
While Murdoch’s meetings with Youngkin took place earlier this year and Youngkin has still not announced a 2024 presidential bid, their revelation comes as Murdoch’s support for the campaign of Florida’s 46th Governor Ron DeSantis wanes.
Youngkin ((pictured at a political conference in Atlanta on Aug. 19) held Virginia’s highest political office as recently as 2021 and has already proved popular across the country
Murdoch reportedly met with Youngkin, seen here at a Washington Commanders fan meeting in Virginia in July, twice this year to encourage him to bid for the White House
Newspapers owned by Murdoch have heavily criticized him in recent weeks.
The New York Post, which praised him as “TheFutureAfter winning Florida’s gubernatorial race last November, he recently reported on his wavering polls, as well as the backlash he received for a campaign video that critics called “homophobic.”
On top of that is the The editors of the Wall Street Journal condemned the governor for a state bill he signed that forced mostly Florida business owners with 25 or more employees to use the U.S. government’s E-Verify system to confirm the legal status of new hires.
Murdoch reportedly cringed during DeSantis’ anti-woke campaign, which has been the centerpiece of his GOP primary run thus far.
In addition, his opinion polls leave much to be desired.
Murdoch has reportedly cringed at the anti-woke campaign that Ron DeSantis, pictured here, is waging at a rally in New Hampshire in August
According to FiveThirtyEight, only 14.8% of Republican voters will vote for DeSantis on August 20, pictured here at a rally in New Hampshire.
Once the GOP frontrunner experts say had the best chance of beating both Trump and the Democrats in 2024, national support for DeSantis has plummeted in the three months since he announced his presidential bid, according to polling data.
This is according to a collection of polls FiveThirtyEightsupport for DeSantis among Republican voters peaked at 40.3% in early January.
But on August 20, only 14.8% of Republican voters remained with him.
Dave Rexrode, chairman of Youngkin’s Spirit of Virginia Political Action Committee, did not respond to the Washington Post’s specific questions about Murdoch, instead saying in a written statement:
“Virginia gets attention because parents still matter and Governor Youngkin’s conservative leadership works.
“There’s more to do, so the governor isn’t watching Virginia. These races are too important.’
MailOnline has reached out to the DeSantis presidential campaign, DeSantis For President and NewsCorp for comment.