Billionaire GOP Megadonor Ken Griffin Warns Trump is ‘Eroding’ American Brand

Screenshot via Semafor

Billionaire and GOP megadonor Ken Griffin warned that the American “brand” is eroding under President Donald Trump, whom Griffin voted for despite past criticism.

Griffin, the founder and CEO of Citadel, said on Wednesday at the Semafor World Economy Summit that damage to America’s “brand” and economy could take a “lifetime” to repair. Griffin has been a critic of Trump’s tariffs, calling them a “huge policy mistake.”

“The markets are obviously not liking what they’re hearing. Treasuries in particular have seen a lot of volatility and worries about dysfunction in the market. What is that doing to the American brand?” Semafor senior editor Gina Chong asked Griffin at the summit.

“You actually picked exactly the right word. The American brand, right? 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. It was like an inspiration for most of the world. And we’re eroding that brand right now,” Griffin said.

The GOP donor argued that nothing rivaled U.S. treasuries, something that he warned is not as true today amid market uncertainty.

“In the financial markets, no brand compared to the brand of the U.S. treasuries, the U.S. treasury market, the strength of the U.S. dollar and the credit worthiness of U.S. treasuries. No brand came close. We put that brand at risk,” Griffin said.

Griffin warned Trump and his administration need to be more “thoughtful” in upsetting the United States’ place in the global market.

“The president and the secretary of treasury and the secretary of commerce need to be very thoughtful that when you have a brand, you need to behave in a way that respects that brand, that strengthens that brand,” he said. “Because when you tarnish that brand it can be a lifetime to repair the damage that has been done.”

Watch above via Semafor.