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3471Charlie Munger, the billionaire investor who died in November 2023 just before turning 100, was always straightforward about what he believed—even when it wasn’t popular.
And when he talked about President Donald Trump, he made his opinion loud and clear.
“The last person I’d want to be president of the United States is Donald Trump,” Munger said in an interview.
When asked why, he didn’t hesitate: “Vain, glory, puffery to a large extent. I could go on and on.”
Munger’s blunt assessment gained new attention after being resurfaced in a viral post.
Not Impressed by Trump’s Business Claims
Munger, best known as Warren Buffett’s longtime business partner at Berkshire Hathaway, had a sharp eye for what worked in business—and what didn’t.
He saw Trump’s style of self-promotion as more flash than substance.
While Trump often highlighted his track record as a real estate developer and media personality, Munger wasn’t convinced.
Munger said Trump “might be quite decisive,” but quickly followed that with, “Do I consider Donald Trump an ideal decision maker or manager of anything? The answer is no.”
He had long believed that sound decision-making required humility, discipline, and patience—traits he didn’t see in Trump.
Munger placed more value on long-term performance and data-driven thinking than charisma or headlines.
Casinos and Moral Judgment
And he didn’t stop there. Back in 2016, Munger spoke at the Daily Journal annual meeting and made headlines for calling Trump “not morally qualified” to be president. His reasoning?
Trump’s involvement in the casino industry.
“Anybody who makes money running a casino is not morally qualified,” Munger said.
Munger had a long history of criticizing gambling, which he viewed as harmful to society.
He often compared parts of modern finance to gambling as well, arguing that speculation and quick wins distracted from value creation.
To Munger, Trump’s success in that world wasn’t a badge of honor—it was a warning sign.
He saw it as proof of a culture that rewarded flashiness and shortcuts over integrity and hard work.
Criticism Across the Political Spectrum
While Munger skewered Trump, he didn’t go easy on the other side of the aisle either. In the same 2016 session, he criticized Democratic candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders and French economist Thomas Piketty.
He called them “a little nuts” for focusing too heavily on income equality.
Munger warned that too much emphasis on leveling wealth could result in harmful outcomes, referencing Communist regimes as cautionary examples.
“If you want to see what non-egality brings us” we should have a closer look at the Soviet Union, Communist China, and North Korea, he said.
Despite recognizing flaws in modern capitalism—like what he called “undeserved fortunes” gained through loopholes—Munger argued that inequality is a natural byproduct of a dynamic, democratic society.
He believed the focus should be on expanding opportunity rather than punishing success.
Too Old, Too Hard
In a 2023 CNBC interview, Munger also questioned whether anyone, regardless of party or age, was really fit for the presidency in today’s world.
He was asked about the age of former President Joe Biden and President Donald Trump, who would be 81 and 77 respectively in 2024. His response veered toward a deeper problem: the overwhelming difficulty of the job itself.
“Maybe this is just a hand too tough to play,” he said. “If you’ve got a big, ruined, smoking country, it’s not much fun being president.”
He admitted that even with unlimited power, he wouldn’t know how to fix many of today’s biggest problems.
Issues like nuclear threats and global instability were so complex, he said, they belonged in his “too hard file.”
He also didn’t pull punches when it came to financial fraud.
Munger supported harsh consequences for crimes like counterfeiting, even saying, “A counterfeiter who’s dead is not going to counterfeit any more currency.”
No Sugarcoating
Whether people agreed with him or not, Munger always said what he thought, plain and simple.
His legacy includes a vast library of insights on business, investing, and human nature—but also a public record of blunt political commentary.
And when it came to Donald Trump, the message from Munger was as short as it was final: “No.”
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