Ken Griffin, the billionaire founder of Citadel and one of the Republican Party’s most influential donors, delivered a sharp warning this week about the direction of the Trump administration, accusing it of ethical lapses and raising concerns about government pressure on corporate America.
Speaking Tuesday at a Wall Street Journal–hosted conference in West Palm Beach, Griffin said the administration has blurred the line between public service and private enrichment.
“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 emphasized that public trust depends on leaders acting with integrity and restraint.
“One of the things that you want to believe is that those who serve the public interest have the public interest at heart in everything they do,” he added.
Concerns Amid New Reporting on Trump Family Finances
Griffin’s remarks come as new reporting has intensified scrutiny of the Trump family’s business dealings. According to recent coverage, Trump and his sons reportedly received a $500 million investment connected to the United Arab Emirates for their cryptocurrency venture shortly before Trump’s second inauguration.
Separately, The New York Times reported last month that Trump and his family have earned at least $1.4 billion since returning to office—a figure the paper described as a conservative estimate.
The White House rejected Griffin’s criticism. Spokesman Kush Desai told the Financial Times that the administration’s record speaks for itself:
“The only special interest guiding the Trump administration’s decision-making is the best interest of the American people. The fact that major stock indexes have hit multiple all-time highs, real wages have grown, and inflation has cooled since President Trump took office is proof that this administration is delivering for every American.”
A Free-Market Conservative Pushback
Griffin, who donated tens of millions of dollars to Republican candidates in 2024 but declined to formally endorse Trump, has increasingly positioned himself as a free-market conservative skeptical of government overreach and protectionism. He has been especially critical of tariffs, warning they place the U.S. economy “on a slippery slope to crony capitalism.”
That concern extends to what Griffin sees as an unhealthy dynamic between Washington and the private sector.
“Griffin said the dynamic has generated concerns that the US would enter a continuous cycle of corporate leaders needing to pander to whomever is in power, instead of relying on the success of their business,” the Financial Times reported.
Griffin put it more bluntly during the conference:
“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 businesses.”
