Ken Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel Securities who backed Donald Trump in 2024 election, is taking issue with the president’s tariff policy.
“I don’t know why we strive to bring back low value-added products to the United States,” Griffin continued. “There’s no money in there for anybody, and there’s certainly no money for doing those jobs… Jobs are actually walking out of China into lower-cost jurisdictions.
“Why are we aspiring to be the nation of the lowest-cost workforce in the world?”
“China dreams to be like the United States—a nation of very high value-added jobs, a nation rich in services, rich in high development…[with] a stunning GDP per capita,” Griffin said.
“‘China aspires to be like the United States,’”Griffin said a Chinese government official told him. The person said, “‘We want to be like you. Why are you trying to be like us?’” and gave “a look of befuddlement,” according to Griffin.
Griffin said he does support reshoring jobs—but for high-technology, high-value products.
“It’s one thing to make Nikes, it’s another thing to make F-35 fighters,” he said.
