The post Citadel’s Ken Griffin rips Apple tariff shield, slams Trump’s corporate dealmaking appeared on BitcoinEthereumNews.com.

Ken Griffin says the U.S. government is turning into a backroom favor factory, and he’s naming names. On Thursday, during a live interview with CNBC’s Sara Eisen in Miami, the Citadel CEO tore into the Trump administration for cutting what he called “anti-American” deals with huge companies like Apple that let them dodge full tariff burdens. “Is that our country, that we’re going to favor the big and the connected? That’s not the American story,” Ken said. He didn’t stop at calling it unfair. Ken warned that when Washington starts choosing which companies win and which ones lose, the whole system crumbles. “When the state becomes involved in picking winners and losers, there’s only one way this game ends: All of us lose.” And right now, that’s exactly what’s happening. A growing line of companies is showing up at the White House, hoping for special exemptions while smaller businesses eat the costs. Ken called that line “nauseating.” Ken slams Apple’s tariff break and Tim Cook’s White House favor Apple, the most valuable tech company in the world, is once again getting a pass. Ken said the iPhone maker should “100% not” be exempt from Trump’s tariffs. Most of Apple’s hardware has been produced in China, with newer manufacturing happening in India and Vietnam. Still, after Apple CEO Tim Cook pledged to invest another $100 billion in U.S. suppliers, on top of the $500 billion already committed, Trump’s administration gave them a green light to skip a planned 100% tariff on semiconductors. That investment wasn’t all Cook offered. He also presented Trump with a custom-made Apple plaque featuring a gold base, another move Ken clearly saw as a tactic to curry favor. “We’re just going to continue to favor big and connected businesses in America?” he asked, pointing straight at the…

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Filed under: News - @ September 25, 2025 10:30 pm