Bill Ackman doubles down on Trump Iran war praise and Mamdani criticism: NYC mayor ‘scared away productive New Yorkers’

Bill Ackman agrees with President Trump going to war with Iran and thinks New York mayor Zohran Mamdani “scared away” the city’s most productive workers. In an interview at the Fast Company Innovation Festival in New York on September 15, Ackman publicly doubled down on many of the stances that he’s taken via his popular X account, where he’s amassed almost three million followers. Ackman, who is the founder and CEO of the hedge fund Pershing Square Capital Management and boasts a net worth of around $10.8 billion, 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 President 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 President Trump and critiquing Mayor Mamdani; and, on stage at the Innovation Festival, he doubled down on those points. On Trump Ackman defended Trump’s war on Iran as a necessary but costly step, …