Bill Ackman agrees with President Donald Trump going to war with Iran and thinks New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani “scared away” the city’s most productive workers.
In an interview at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in downtown Manhattan on September 15, Ackman publicly doubled down on many of the stances he’s taken via his popular X account, where he’s amassed almost 3 million followers.
Ackman, CEO of Pershing Square Capital Management, the hedge fund he founded, boasts a net worth of roughly $10.8 billion. He has used his X platform (where he posts daily) as a sounding board for both personal musings and political takes. He’s become a strong supporter of many conservative policies following his official endorsement of Trump in 2024, which came after several decades of supporting Democratic candidates.
On X, Ackman has weighed in on AI in NYC schools (he’s in favor), praised Elon Musk, and decried what he calls “reverse racism.” He’s also repeatedly tweeted in support of Trump while being critical of Mamdani.
On Trump
Ackman defended Trump’s war on Iran as a necessary but costly step, telling Fast Company CEO Stephanie Mehta that he’s “comfortable being in the minority” by taking that stance.
“I’m a believer that the president did the right thing in going to war with Iran. There are certain things that have short-term negative consequences that are really important for the long term: destroying Iran’s nuclear capability and destroying a regime that has literally assassinated a meaningful percentage of their population for protesting the regime. And eliminating their ballistic missile program,” Ackman said.
“If we didn’t do it, it could be an existential threat to the United States,” he added.
The main consequence of the war, as Ackman sees it, has been higher energy prices. “The administration is doing everything they can to open the [Strait of Hormuz] and to find other sources of energy to keep gas prices lower, energy prices lower,” he said. “Energy prices pervade almost everything because of transportation costs, material costs, even fertilizer costs. That’s caused inflation, and that’s a burden particularly on lower economic groups.”
When Mehta asked Ackman if there’s anything he disagrees on with the president, he called out Trump’s recent pledge to give Americans $5,000 if Republicans keep control of Congress—adding, however, “You know, every president is flawed in varying ways.”
On Mamdani
Ackman had predictably harsher words for Mamdani, clarifying that he (Ackman) is “not critical of New York City” but rather its mayor.
“Socialism is not the right strategy for New York,” he said. “We need to design incentives, taxes and otherwise, in a way that promotes business development.”
Ackman added that he opposes Mamdani’s pied-à-terre tax, which came into effect on July 6 and applies to non-primary residences worth more than $5 million, as he believes it could prevent wealthy individuals, like billionaire Ken Griffin, from bringing business to the city. (Earlier this year, Mamdani promoted the tax in a video shot directly outside Griffin’s apartment.)
“You want to encourage people like that to be here, as opposed to doing a video in front of their apartment and calling them out,” Ackman said. “It’s a huge mistake. The mayor has scared away some of the most productive New Yorkers to other places like Miami.”