“Met Romney last week,” Murdoch tweeted at 7:32 Sunday morning. Obama’s “tough …Chicago pros will be hard to beat unless [Romney] drops friends from team and hires some real pros. Doubtful.”

The tweet wasn’t the first sign that Murdoch is unimpressed with the former Massachusetts governor. The chairman of News Corp., who gave maximum contributions to Hillary Clinton in 2007 and John McCain in 2008, has not given a dime to either of Romney’s presidential campaigns. His cherished New York Post has taken unexpected shots at the Republican. Allies say he was simply giving public voice to concerns about Romney’s politics and policy that are common knowledge in his circle.

“He and others in business world don’t think [Romney] can win,” a Murdoch confidant said Sunday. “They also don’t think he is authentic. They want [Obama] out, but Mitt does not present a compelling alternative.”