50 minutes ago
3
The capitalist is ghosting the socialist.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reached out to billionaire Ken Griffin after furious backlash from a “Tax the Rich’ video Hizzoner filmed outside the CEO’s Manhattan apartment – but so far he hasn’t gotten a call back.
The democratic socialist mayor reached out through intermediaries and pitched a potential sit down with Griffin, who heads Citadel, he confirmed Friday – though it wasn’t exactly clear when tried to connect.
“We’re still waiting to hear,” Mamdani said at an unrelated press conference before downplaying the offer as one of many to Big Apple business leaders.
“That continues to be an open invitation and it’s part of invitations that I’ve made to a number of business leaders across our city and I’ve appreciated those conversations,” he said.
“I think what’s critical is that in those conversations, I both share that which you’ve already quoted,” he said. “But also I’m there to listen. I’m there to have a conversation that goes beyond places of agreement but perhaps to places of disagreement.”
Follow The Post’s live updates for the latest on New York politics, from the city to Albany
Mamdani riled Griffin when he posted one of his signature slick social media videos that used the hedge fund mogul’s record-setting $238 million Midtown penthouse to celebrate a proposed tax on luxury second homes in the city.
Griffin blasted the mayor – who campaigned with the goal of taxing the rich – for the video, calling it “creepy” on CNBC and blamed the stunt for expanding Citadel’s operations in Florida instead of New York.
“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,” Griffin said on the network.
He also threatened to scrap a $6 billion Park Avenue development by Citadel.
Mamdani’s stance and tax-hike crusade has sparked many business owners and other city leaders worried that the fledgling mayor, who took office in January, could fuel an exodus of corporations and high-earners out of the city.
Some experts warned last week that there could be “quiet quitting” already underway, with the effects on the local economy not immediately clear. One finance big has even launched a campaign called Operation Boomerang to try to convince his business peers not to give up on New York.
A spokesperson for Griffin didn’t address whether he plans to meet with the mayor.
“Ken cares deeply about New York City and welcomes thoughtful, serious conversations about the policies that can grow the city’s economy and create more opportunity for all New Yorkers,” the spokesperson said. “Reckless political theater serves no purpose and undermines the future of one of the world’s most important cities.”
English (US)