Meg Whitman joins a small but growing list of Republicans who say they will back Clinton. | Getty HP CEO Meg Whitman backs Clinton, denounces 'demagogue' Trump

Hewlett Packard CEO and prominent Republican fundraiser Meg Whitman pledged her support to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, castigating her Republican opponent Donald Trump and labeling him a "demagogue" for good measure.

In a phone interview with The New York Times, Whitman promised to donate a “substantial” amount to Clinton's campaign to help her oppose Trump, whom she claimed “undermined the character of the nation.” Whitman, who ran a losing campaign to become the governor of California in 2010, joins a small but growing list of Republicans who say they will back Clinton.


“I will vote for Hillary, I will talk to my Republican friends about helping her, and I will donate to her campaign and try to raise money for her,” Whitman told the Times, revealing that the Democratic nominee had personally reached out to her a month ago to court her support. Forbes lists Whitman's net worth at $2.1 billion.

Whitman went on to blast Trump as a “a dishonest demagogue” who she warned could lead the United States “on a very dangerous journey.” The HP CEO also stood by her prior comparisons of Trump to dictators and authoritarians such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini.

“Time and again history has shown that when demagogues have gotten power or come close to getting power, it usually does not end well,” Whitman told the Times.

Whitman's endorsement of Clinton follows those of other prominent billionaires, including Michael Bloomberg, Mark Cuban and Warren Buffett. And it comes after Sally Bradshaw, a longtime top aide to Jeb Bush, and Maria Comella, a close confidante of New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, also announced they would support the former secretary of state.