Mamdani Reaches Out to Ken Griffin After Video Backlash
Zohran Mamdani reached out to ken griffin through intermediaries after backlash over a “Tax the Rich” video filmed outside Griffin’s Manhattan apartment. By Friday, the mayor said he was still waiting to hear back, leaving a public clash between City Hall and one of New York’s most prominent billionaires unresolved.
Mamdani’s Friday outreach
Mamdani said Friday that the invitation was part of a wider effort to speak with business leaders across the city. “We’re still waiting to hear,” he said at an unrelated press conference, after describing the outreach as an “open invitation.”
He added that he wanted talks that moved beyond agreement and into disagreement. “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.
Griffin’s $6 billion warning
$6 billion was the size of the Park Avenue development Griffin threatened to scrap after the video, and he said the clip would push Citadel further toward Florida. On CNBC, Griffin called the video “creepy” and said, “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.”
That threat gives the outreach practical weight for New York’s business community. Mamdani campaigned on taxing the rich, and the source says that stance has already worried business owners and other city leaders about a possible exodus of corporations and high-earners from the city.
Citadel, New York, and January
January is when Mamdani took office as mayor, and the first months of his administration have put his tax agenda in direct contact with Wall Street money. The video he posted to celebrate a proposed tax on luxury second homes turned that policy message into a direct confrontation with Griffin, who heads Citadel.
$238 million is the figure attached to the scale of the pressure surrounding this fight, with some experts warning last week about possible “quiet quitting” already underway and one finance figure launching Operation Boomerang to persuade peers not to abandon New York. Citadel’s spokesperson said Griffin welcomes “thoughtful, serious conversations about the policies that can grow the city’s economy and create more opportunity for all New Yorkers,” while also saying, “Reckless political theater serves no purpose and undermines the future of one of the world’s most important cities.”
For now, the practical next step is simple: Mamdani says the door is open, and Griffin has not taken the call.
