- Billionaire Ken Griffin has spent tens of millions to support Republicans but not Donald Trump.
- The Citadel CEO declined to say who he’s voting for or rule out a future in politics.
- Griffin also denied that taxes played a major role in moving the hedge fund from Chicago to Miami.
Citadel’s Ken Griffin is a top Republican megadonor this election cycle, but the CEO said in a Thursday interview that he hasn’t supported Donald Trump. That said, the billionaire declined to say whether he would vote for Trump or Vice President Kamala Harris as president. He supported former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley in the primaries.
“There are real issues with both candidates. Neither of these candidates are going to receive an award for the quality of their policies,” he told ex-Fortune CEO Alan Murray.
“I know who I’m going to vote for, but it’s not with a smile on my face,” he said.
The chief executive was more forthcoming on other topics in the wide-ranging interview at Columbia Journalism School’s Knight-Bagehot dinner in New York City. Griffin clarified his stance on Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, stating that he supported his gubernatorial campaigns but not his presidential run.
“As I told the governor, when you pick a fight with a mouse, you look like a bully,” he said, referring to DeSantis’s war on Disney. “I thought that was an absolutely horrible look.”
Griffin denied that taxes were a major factor in Citadel’s high-profile move from Chicago to Miami. He said crime and gun violence drove Citadel out of the Windy City to the Sunshine State.
“How much do you rearrange your life over a 5% tax rate?” said the Boca Raton native. “Taxes are the cost of a civilized society. Taxes didn’t even make the top five list. It was never on the whiteboard of pros and cons.”
Griffin, citing ProPublica’s reporting, said he was the second-largest American taxpayer from 2013 to 2018. That said, when Griffin was an Illinois resident, he spent $54 million to defeat a 2020 progressive income tax proposal.
When asked if he would run for office, the vocal billionaire was cautious with his words.
“I would never say no to the possibility of being involved in our government,” he said. “I don’t think 2028 is that moment in my life. It’s not going to happen that quickly. I love my job and I have three young kids.”
He has previously told Business Insider that he would serve as Treasury Secretary if the US was in economic trouble.
