Ken Griffin: 'Those Jobs Won’t Return' — A Sharp Rebuke of Trump's Tariffs

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Ken Griffin, the founder of Citadel, expanded his criticism Regarding the trade policies of the Trump administration, they argue that tariffs will not restore American manufacturing jobs as President Trump expects. Instead, they suggest the nation should focus on leveraging its own advantages.

“He dreams of giving people their dignity back, and I have to applaud him for having that dream,” Griffin, speaking Friday at Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, said of President Donald Trump. The dream of creating more manufacturing jobs, however, “is not going to come true.”

These job opportunities aren’t returning to America," Griffin stated. "To clarify, with an unemployment rate at 4%, America has progressed.

The billionaire from Citadel, who mentioned this week Theصندitempty صندIntialized trade war has devolved Into an "absurd" situation, has cautioned that the US is jeopardizing its international reputation due to its tariff strategies. He stated on Friday that the administration has adopted a shortsighted approach which contradicts what is best for the nation.

In her talk at Stanford’s "View From the Top" event in Silicon Valley, Griffin contended that instead of attempting to revive factory jobs which are becoming increasingly automated, the U.S. should focus on leveraging its strengths like generating intellectual property and content.

"These are positions that offer an astonishingly high salary when compared to roles such as manufacturing zippers, producing household appliances, or assembling flat-screen televisions," he stated.

Griffin mentioned that during a recent occasion conference In Beijing, he spoke with a high-ranking Chinese government official who expressed doubt about why U.S. trade policy aimed at promoting low-wage manufacturing positions was seen as desirable rather than striving for the global influence that China aims to replicate.

The Republican megadonor said the US “screwed up” when it came to helping those who lost their jobs to globalization, and noted that much of the president’s electoral support came from people who felt like the economy hadn’t been working for them. The rise of artificial intelligence could also lead to job loss among white-collar workers, and it will be important to help them land on their feet, he said.

Still, Griffin said the US has benefited more from globalization than China, and the trade war has fractured the country’s relationship with the rest of the world.

The Trump administration paused plans for more widespread tariffs earlier this month. That “creates space for them to take a step back and reflect” on how to achieve the goals of “creating jobs and dignity for those affected by globalization, and at the same time, securing and reaffirming the important role America plays in the world,” Griffin said.

(Updates with comments on AI in eighth paragraph.)

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