Bill Ackman: Trump 'Most Pro-Business President Ever'

President Donald Trump has been "the most pro-business president we've ever had," billionaire investor Bill Ackman said Tuesday.

Speaking on CNBC's "Squawk Box," the Pershing Square Capital Management CEO praised Trump's policies for helping the U.S. economy thrive.

"I think Trump has been the most pro-business president we've ever had," Ackman said, crediting the administration's tax and infrastructure initiatives for boosting corporate confidence and investment.

Ackman also praised the Federal Reserve's "accommodative" stance toward interest rate cuts, saying it complemented Trump's economic agenda.

"I trust the president," he added. "I think he's done an excellent job."

While the hedge fund manager admitted to some initial concern about the administration's sweeping tariff policy, first announced in April, Ackman said Trump reconsidered after he personally urged caution.

"He took a pause, which I think was the right move," Ackman noted.

Ackman's remarks came as he deepens his involvement in both national and local politics.

In New York City, he has become one of the most visible opponents of Democrat mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani, a self-described democratic socialist.

Ackman told CNBC that Mamdani "has the wrong policies" for addressing the city's problems, despite identifying affordability and safety as legitimate concerns.

"We do not want a socialist leading the most important financial city in the country," Ackman said.

Ackman recently donated $1 million to Defend NYC, a super PAC opposing Mamdani's campaign, Politico reported last week.

The group was founded by Jason Meister, a former Trump campaign adviser, and has pledged to launch an aggressive media blitz against Mamdani, whom it labels "a radical socialist."

Ackman's donation makes him one of the largest single contributors in the race, behind only Michael Bloomberg, who spent $8.3 million supporting former Democrat Gov. Andrew Cuomo's unsuccessful primary bid.

The move underscores how major financiers and real estate figures remain sharply divided over New York's political future — and how closely Ackman has aligned himself with pro-business, pro-Trump interests.

Ackman has also emerged as one of Trump's most vocal defenders on issues beyond Wall Street.

He urged Harvard University, his alma mater, to "end its arrogance" and comply with a set of reform demands issued by the Trump administration.

Ackman criticized the university's diversity, equity, and inclusion programs, arguing that they have "poisoned Harvard's admissions practices" and "allowed antisemitism to explode on campus."

In a lengthy post on X in May, he called on Harvard to accept the administration's conditions "immediately," including the shuttering of DEI programs to remain eligible for federal funding.

"The answer to what Harvard should do is therefore obvious," Ackman wrote. "It must accept the administration's requests and take all necessary steps to implement them."

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