Billionaire investor and founder and CEO of Citadel Ken Griffin said President Trump's trade war has "turned into a ridiculous situation" and is jeopardizing the reputation of the United States and its Treasury market.

According to foreign media reports, Griffin said at the Semafor World Economic Summit on Wednesday that many corporate executives were originally looking forward to certain aspects of Trump's agenda, such as not having to deal with new regulatory regulations."But unfortunately, this already deteriorating trade war forces us to spend our time thinking about supply chain issues."

Griffin has criticized Trump in the past, but he also said at the event that the Trump administration’s efforts to combat illegal immigration and cut wasteful government spending are worthy of recognition. He also said that the starting point of the tariff measures promoted by Trump is good.

“President Trump has a very keen insight into the crux of the problem,” Griffin said. “But in our attempt to deal with these real problems, we are too hasty to do so, which has caused unnecessary damage.”

Griffin warned that Trump's trade war was "impeding the brand image of the United States", noting thatThis strategy could backfire and go against the government's goal of bringing manufacturing back to the United States.

“The United States is not just a country … It is a global brand. Whether it is our culture, financial strength, or military power, the United States has long surpassed the ordinary country,” Griffin said. “It was once the pursuit of most countries in the world, and we are eroding this brand.”

In recent weeks, U.S. stock markets have fluctuated violently due to the advancement of Trump's tariff policies. The U.S. Treasury yields rose due to political tensions and the dollar weakened against other major currencies. All this showsInvestors are reducing trust in the United States as the "world's safest place to invest". He said

“In the financial market, no brand can match the 'U.S. Treasury' brand—the strength of the US dollar, the credit of the US Treasury. No brand can get close to its reputation. And we are putting this brand at risk now.”

“No one is rushing to build manufacturing bases in the United States under such policy volatility,” he said. “This uncertainty actually undermines what the government originally wanted to achieve.”

He added that the president has many advisors who support current tariff policies, and there is still room for debate on what policies and responses to it. "But the most important thing is how we act and cannot harm the international status of the United States of America," Griffin emphasized.

Although Trump and his senior officials are confident in negotiations with other countries,Republican lawmakers are worried that the trade war will hurt them in the 2026 election.Republican leaders feared that price inflation would eventually backfire them on the vote, as happened during the trade wars in 1932 and 1982.

As of early 2025, the scale of hedge fund assets managed by Griffin had exceeded US$65 billion. He has voted for Trump and is a key donor to Republican politicians. However, he has been strongly critical of Trump's trade policy, once called the president's remarks "exaggerated and reckless." He warned

"The president, the finance minister and the commerce minister have to be very cautious when dealing with such issues. When you have such a global brand, every policy decision must start with strengthening its credibility - because once damaged, it can take decades to rebuild trust."