Citadel CEO Ken Griffin raised eyebrows this week when he left the door open to future public service or even running for office, while issuing some of his sharpest criticism yet of President Donald Trump.
“I’d like to believe that at a future point in my life, I will be involved in public service,” Griffin said during an interview at the WSJ Invest Live event Tuesday. “I’ve been able to have my voice heard on important issues, and I’d like to think that I’ve nudged the country and in small ways in good directions.”
Ken Griffin, speaking at WSJ Invest Live, didn’t say no when @emmatuckerWSJ
asked if he would run for office. (Read president) pic.twitter.com/vntp9BTL4B— Jack Otter (@JackOtter) February 3, 2026
Griffin, a prominent Republican donor who contributed more than $100 million to conservative candidates and causes in the 2024 election cycle but did not back Trump’s re-election bid directly also took aim at the administration’s approach to business, saying the business leaders are tiring of what he sees as appeasing the president.
“When the U.S. government starts to engage in corporate America in a way that tastes of favoritism, I know for most CEOs that I’m friends with, they find it incredibly distasteful,” the billionaire hedge fund manager said. “Most CEOs just don’t want to find themselves in the business of having to, in some sense, suck up to one administration after another to succeed in running their business.”
Griffin also ripped Trump and members of his inner circle for business dealings riddled with conflicts of interest, including the Trump family’s crypto company World Liberty Financial. The Wall Street Journal recently reported that Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE national security adviser, brother of the president, and often called the “Spy Sheikh,” secretly acquired a 49% stake in World Liberty Financial for $500 million. The deal was signed by Eric Trump just days before his family’s second inauguration in January 2025. The president has denied any knowledge of the agreement.
“This administration has definitely made missteps in choosing decisions or courses that have been very, very enriching to the families of those in the administration,” Griffin said. “That calls into question, is the public interest being served?”
Griffin, who moved his hedge fund from Chicago to Palm Beach citing rising crime and high taxes in Democrat-run Illinois, teamed up with Stephen Ross this week to contribute $10 million to the “Ambition Accelerated” campaign through the Florida Council of 100, aiming to lure CEOs, founders, and investors to state’s Gold Coast.
“Where you choose to build a business determines how much time is spent driving growth versus navigating bureaucracy,” Griffin said in a statement. “Miami and the broader South Florida Gold Coast offer deep talent, regulatory clarity, and an extraordinary quality of life.”
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