Citadel founder Ken Griffin said he would love to see Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida run for president in 2024.
(Bloomberg) — Citadel founder Ken Griffin said he would love to see Republican Governor Ron DeSantis of Florida run for president in 2024.
The hedge fund billionaire said Tuesday that the state’s economic success speaks to DeSantis’s merits as a leader. He previously told Bloomberg that he would back DeSantis over former President Donald Trump.
“I would love to see him run,” Griffin, 54, said during an interview Tuesday in Palm Beach, Florida.
Still, Griffin said he disagrees with DeSantis on some issues, including retaliating against Walt Disney Co. for criticizing a law limiting elementary school teachings about gender identity, which critics call the “Don’t Say Gay” bill.
The Florida governor signed legislation in February effectively giving him control of Disney’s special municipal district, part of a strategy fueling his widely expected White House bid.
Read more: DeSantis Signs Law Taking Control of Disney Special District
DeSantis’s actions against Disney feel like “overreach,” Griffin said. “It’s intimidating when the government takes steps that may look or feel like retribution.”
Griffin also said that he disagreed with some of DeSantis’s comments on mRNA vaccines, which have helped sow doubt on their safety and efficacy.
“I don’t agree with his choice of words or how he’s positioning the issue,” he said.
Griffin announced in 2022 that he was moving the headquarters of Citadel and Citadel Securities, his market-making business, to Miami from Chicago, citing a rise in crime and dissatisfaction with political leaders in Illinois as primary motivations. He has a fortune estimated at $36.7 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.
Griffin repeatedly criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, a Democrat, in the interview. Pritzker told Bloomberg last month that he would spend whatever was necessary to keep Republicans like DeSantis and Trump out of the White House.
In response to a question about the governor’s comments, Griffin replied that he would spend whatever was necessary to prevent Pritzker from being elected president. Pritzker has said he’s happy as governor, intends to serve the rest of his term and will back President Joe Biden.
–With assistance from Shruti Date Singh.
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