New York City billionaire John Catsimatidis has long been immersed in politics. But last year the Republican real estate and oil tycoon donated more money than he ever had before - $2.4 million to support Donald Trump and congressional Republicans, nearly twice as much as he gave in 2016.

Catsimatidis said he feels a growing urgency to try to influence the course of American politics, given the wide divergence between the two parties.

“If you’re a billionaire, you want to stay a billionaire,” said Catsimatidis, whose net worth is estimated at $4.5 billion. It’s not just about his own wealth, he said, adding, “I worry about America and the way of life we have.”

In an era defined by major political divisions and massive wealth accumulation for the richest Americans, billionaires are spend

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