Blackstone CEO Steve Schwarzman said that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump would be more "efficient and effective" as president compared to his first term eight years ago.
Schwarzman made the comments at the Future Investment Initiative, the annual business conference held in Saudi Arabia.
"I think when he started in 2016, this was completely new territory," Schwarzman told the panel. "Most people who are president have no idea what that job is really like because it is so different than any other job. And in his case, that was true.
"I don't know who's going to win the presidency, it's beyond me, but I think he has a much better base of knowledge of how that job works and how to be efficient and effective in doing it than certainly compared to 2016," added Schwarzman, who announced in May that he was backing Trump's reelection.
Citadel founder and CEO Ken Griffin, who was also on the "Davos in the desert" panel, has not publicly endorsed Trump or Democrat nominee Kamala Harris but told the panel that "the expectation today is that Donald Trump will win the White House in just a few days."
Griffin said earlier this month that he has "not supported Donald Trump. I'm so torn on this one."
"There are real issues with both candidates, neither of the candidates are going to receive an award for the quality of their policies, and frankly, I think neither candidate's going to receive an award for the quality of their leadership," he said at an event in New York.
"I know who I'm going to vote for, but it's not with a smile on my face," Griffin added.
Griffin has donated $103.7 million to conservative super PACs and candidates, according to The Washington Post, including $30 million to the Senate Leadership Fund.
Mark Swanson ✉
Mark Swanson, a Newsmax writer and editor, has nearly three decades of experience covering news, culture and politics.
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