Billionaire hedge fund manager Ken Griffin has voiced apprehensions about Donald Trump’s approach to tariffs, labelling them a “slippery slope” with potentially harmful long-term consequences for US businesses, according to a report by Bloomberg.
However, speaking at the Oxford Union in the UK on Monday, Griffin also acknowledged that the US economy could benefit from a renewed focus on growth under Trump’s leadership.
According to the Citadel founder, the tariffs — which are central to Trump’s economic policy — are measures that may yield short-term gains but weaken the global competitiveness of American companies.
“I am very anxious about the president’s willingness to engage in tariffs as a matter of trade policy,” Griffin remarked, adding that US businesses might now pivot from regulatory constraints to fostering job creation and economic expansion.
Griffin has previously described Trump’s tariff strategies as “regretful” but has also suggested that a Trump-led administration could benefit financial markets. During his discussion, Griffin also emphasised the need for fiscal responsibility, expressing hope that Trump would curtail government spending.
Griffin, a prominent voice in the hedge fund world, has championed free-market policies and lower taxes while criticising Democratic approaches to crime and education. He has also condemned recent pro-Palestinian protests on US college campuses, blaming what he sees as failings in the education system.
Griffin also addressed Trump’s immigration proposals, and urged policymakers to develop a thoughtful immigration framework rather than resorting to blanket deportations. “I do not know how to justify mass deportations from either a humanitarian or economic perspective,” he said. “Many undocumented immigrants are gainfully employed, contributing to our economy, and seeking to establish roots in the US. I do not understand how we could justify deporting such individuals.”
Griffin, who launched multi-strategy major Citadel in 1990, has since built the firm into a $65bn powerhouse and amassed a personal fortune now worth about $42.2bn, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. He is also a significant political donor having contributed $100m to pro-Republican political action committees in this presidential cycle, according to campaign finance tracker OpenSecrets.
