A social media video posted by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani — which named Griffin and revealed his address as part of a push to tax wealthy owners of high-value secondary residences — left the Citadel founder and CEO feeling endangered, Griffin told CBS News. "He put me in harm's way," Griffin said.
"He put me in harm's way," Griffin told CBS News in an interview on CNBC, referencing the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson. "He seems to have forgotten that the CEO of another American company was assassinated just blocks from where I live in New York."
In the clip, Mamdani filmed himself at 220 Central Park South — the building where Griffin paid $238 million for a penthouse. "This penthouse, which hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin bought for $238 million, this pied-à-terre tax is specifically designed for the richest of the rich," Mamdani said in the video, according to CBS News.
The proposal, backed jointly by Mamdani and New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, calls for a recurring annual levy on non-primary residences with a market value exceeding $5 million. Projections estimate it would raise upward of $500 million per year, according to CBS News.
Griffin also raised questions about the tax's broader implications for Citadel's planned $6 billion redevelopment of 350 Park Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. "Our company's thinking about making a $6 billion investment in New York City ... are they going to now have a special tax rate for those that own office buildings who live out of state?" Griffin told CBS News. According to CBS News, the 350 Park Avenue project would bring an estimated 6,000 jobs in construction and generate more than 15,000 permanent positions once complete.
