Shameful, ignorance, contempt… The billionaire owner of the most expensive apartment in the United States…

In a video posted on his social networks, the mayor of New York took aim at the richest, targeting a luxury apartment acquired by Citadel hedge fund CEO Ken Griffin for over $238 million. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani bluntly annoyed billionaire businessman Ken Griffin. In a video posted on April 17 on his social networks, the Democratic elected official targeted the richest people owning an unoccupied apartment in New York. To illustrate his point, Mayor Zohran Mamdani was filmed in front of a property owned by a certain Ken Griffin, general manager of the Citadel hedge fund, whose fortune is estimated at $48.3 billion. This 2,200 square meter penthouse located at 220 Central Park South, a luxury building inaugurated in 2018 and nicknamed “the billionaire’s bunker,” was acquired by the businessman for about $238 million, a transaction that set a record for the most expensive housing ever sold in the United States. “We have obtained a tax on second homes,” Mamdani declared in the video posted on April 17. This video of the Mayor of New York greatly displeased the owner of the penthouse, revealed the Wall Street Journal. In an email sent last week to the hedge fund’s employees, Gerald Beeson, Ken Griffin’s chief operating officer, mentioned the possibility that the company would abandon a major construction project in New York. “We are about to launch the renovation of 350 Park Avenue, which will create 6,000 highly skilled construction jobs and contribute to the creation of more than 15,000 permanent jobs in downtown New York,” wrote Gerald Beeson, the chief operation officer. “This project- if successful- will represent an investment of over $6 billion.” “It is shameful that he (Zohran Mamdani) used Ken’s name as an example of those who allegedly do not fairly contribute to the often costly and extravagant expenses of the city of New York,” indicates the email. In doing so, the mayor once again demonstrated the ignorance and disdain of the political elite towards those who have always been committed to building one of the greatest cities in the world.” Beeson wrote that over the past five years, Citadel’s leaders and team members (including non-residents) have paid nearly $2.3 billion in municipal and state taxes to the city. He also ensures that Griffin has personally donated $650 million to charity to support the city of New York. “We know that our hard work and success will sometimes expose us to political attacks. But this must not diminish the pride we feel in building businesses that will contribute to the prosperity of New York for decades to come,” he concluded. In 2022, Ken Griffin announced that his company’s headquarters would be moved from Chicago to Miami, where the businessman- who does not live in New York- now resides. Each side has its supporters Billionaire investor Bill Ackman expressed solidarity with Citadel’s boss after Mamdani’s video was released. “Instead of criticizing Ken for investing $238 million in New York, we should applaud him,” wrote Bill Ackman on X. “Especially, non-resident owners of apartments in New York, who leave their homes vacant most of the year, do not represent a burden on the city’s schools, services, and other resources, while they contribute to the growth of retail, restaurants, theaters, and other sectors of our economy,” insists the billionaire. New York State Governor Kathy Hochul expressed her support last week for Zohran Mamdani’s luxury second home tax project in New York. This new tax would help bridge the city’s budget deficit. Mamdani, a democratic socialist, pledged during his campaign to increase taxes on millionaires and businesses in the city, although only the governor and state legislators have the power to make such changes. “It is an unfair system that affects hardworking New Yorkers,” the mayor of New York assures. And it is coming to an end. The tax will raise at least $500 million, directly for the city: it will fund childcare, cleaner streets, and safer neighborhoods.”