Ken Griffin takes another jab at New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani, while expressing his willingness to sit down with the far-left leader in the future.
The Citadel founder on Thursday urged New York business leaders to “fight for their city” as he renewed his criticism of the Democratic socialist mayor whose “tax the rich” campaign turned Griffin into a political target earlier this year.
“They need to find their voice and fight for their city,” Griffin said at the launch of the Upper East Side project. According to Bloomberg News.
“My advice is to talk. What’s the worst that will happen?”
The billionaire hedge fund manager, whose company employs thousands of workers in New York, said his company would survive the Mamdani administration.
“Everything has to be looked at through the lens of the Citadel. He’s going to be here a lot longer than he will be as mayor,” he said.
While Griffin hid Mamdani’s outreach, he said Thursday they would talk — eventually.
He added: “I plan to speak to him sometime in the coming months.”
“Let’s see where he stands in the state of politics at that time. Actions speak louder than words.”
The comments came during a groundbreaking ceremony for the Kenneth C. Griffin Pavilion, a new 27-story inpatient facility being built by Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Griffin and fellow billionaire David Geffen pledged $400 million to the project.
Despite his increasingly visible investments in Florida — which recently expanded plans for a sprawling Miami development — Griffin indicated Thursday that New York remains central to The Citadel’s future.
At the same time, he warned that business leaders cannot remain silent.
“New York will be empty of talent and this is a disaster,” he said, explaining the nightmare scenario for the city under Mamdani.
“If the mayor wants to say a few words about you, your record speaks for itself: You create jobs, you create value, you pay taxes.”
Earlier this year, Mamdani ignited a public row by filming a viral Tax Day video outside Griffin’s $238 million condo at 220 Central Park South to promote a new tax on wealthy second-home owners.
Standing outside his residence on Billionaires Avenue, Mamdani called out Griffin by name as he touted his promise to “tax the rich” and celebrated the tax targeting luxury properties owned by non-residents.
video It sparked an outcry from the business community and angered Griffin. He called the stunt “scary” and accused the mayor of turning a political dispute into a personal attack.
Griffin is expected to owe an additional $1.3 million to $1.4 million in taxes next year due to the land tax. According to Business Insider calculations.
His generosity seems to continue unabated.
The Upper East Side Cancer Center joins a growing list of New York institutions that have received major donations from Griffin, including the Hospital for Special Surgery and the American Museum of Natural History.
The Post requested comment from Griffin and Mamdani.