GOP Megadonor Ken Griffin Says Trump Is Bad for America’s Brand: ‘Can Be a Lifetime to Repair the Damage’ | Video

CEO Citadel Ken Griffin, a former GOP megadonor who voted for President Trump, said on Wednesday that the president’s trade wars are “nonsensical” and have already hurt the country’s “brand.”

“The United States was more than just a nation. It’s a brand. It’s a universal brand. Whether it’s our culture, our financial strength, our military strength, America rose beyond just being a country,” Griffin said Wednesday at Semafor’s World Economy Summit in Washington, D.C.

He warned that Trump’s trade tariffs are “eroding that brand right now.” He added that “no brand came close” to the U.S. treasury market, until now.

“As you and I both know,” he told Semafor Senior Editor Gina Chon, “it can take a very long time, very long time, to remove the tarnish on a brand.”

He urged Trump, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Secretary of Commerce Howard W. Lutnick to be “very thoughtful” and “behave in a way that respects that brand, that strengthens that brand.” He warned. “It can be a lifetime to repair the damage that has been done.”

At the summit, Griffin said he and other executives were eagerly anticipating portions of Trump’s economic plan, including slashing federal regulations, and mentioned that the tariffs were “well-intended,” Bloomberg reported.

“Unfortunately, the trade war, which has devolved into a nonsensical place, means we’re spending time thinking about supply chains,” Griffin said.

“President Trump has an incredibly good sense of where problems lie,” the CEO continued. “But we’re moving too quickly, we’re moving too haphazardly and we’re breaking a lot of glass in trying to solve some very real problems.”

In the past, Griffin referred to Trump as a “three-time” loser, but told the New York Times in December that he voted for him and is glad that the 2024 election went Trump’s way.

You can watch the Ken Griffin segment in the video above.

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