George Soros
George SorosReuters

Leftist Jewish billionaire George Soros told The New York Times in an interview that former President Barack Obama was his “greatest disappointment”.

Soros, who was an early supporter of Obama’s 2008 presidential run, told the paper that Obama "closed the door" on him after he secured the presidency.

“He made one phone call thanking me for my support, which was meant to last for five minutes, and I engaged him, and he had to spend another three minutes with me, so I dragged it out to eight minutes,” said Soros.

He told The Times he had hoped Obama would consult him on economic and financial issues, but Obama was known to “take his supporters for granted and to woo his opponents.”

Soros also poured millions of dollars into Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign but would not confirm if he would back Independent Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders in the upcoming presidential election.

“I don’t particularly want to be a Democrat,” he said, though he has contributed some $15 million to support Democrats in the midterm elections.

“I’m opposed to the extreme left,” claimed Soros. “It should stop trying to keep up with the extremists on the right.”

The Jewish billionaire has in the past come under fire for his support for anti-Israel leftist groups.