(NewsNation) — Billionaire Ken Griffin has criticized New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the wake of a video outside his residence.
The Democratic socialist mayor stood outside one of Griffin’s properties in a viral video touting a proposed tax surcharge on pricey second homes in Manhattan.
“Mamdani is making it really clear: New York doesn’t welcome success,” Griffin, the CEO and founder of Citadel, said at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Tuesday.
Speaking to the video outside his residence, Griffin said it “put me in harm’s way” and described the production as “in poor taste.”
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In response to the video, Griffin said Citadel’s operations in the Big Apple will be scaled back in favor of Florida.
“In reaction to New York, we filed a permit with the city of Miami. We’ve added several hundred thousand square feet of new space in our new building,” Griffin told CNBC.
“We will add far more jobs in Miami over the next decade as an immediate and direct consequence of the mayor’s poor decision here, with respect to his posting of that video,” he added.
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In the video, Mamdani, who sailed to mayoral victory last fall, tapped the camera lens and says, “Today, we’re taxing the rich.”
The plan has been endorsed this week by New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, a moderate Democrat. If state lawmakers approve the measure, the Big Apple could impose tiered tax surcharges on secondary residences worth more than $5 million.
The proposal would raise an estimated $500 million annually to help fill a significantly higher budget gap.
NewsNation’s Michael Ramsey contributed to this report.
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