He spent an inordinate amount of time during his third campaign for president in the city and its environs, visiting not just for his trial but also for his widely criticized Madison Square Garden rally, a speech at the Alfred E. Smith memorial dinner, an appearance at the Economic Club of New York, and rallies in the Bronx and the Long Island suburbs.

Read More: Trump, Time’s person of the year, takes a very New York victory lap

The Economic Club of New York announced the winners of the third annual Innovation and Social Impact Challenge. The Innovation and Social Impact Challenge was created in 2022 in celebration of the Club’s 115th anniversary as the premier platform for non-partisan discussion dedicated to connecting the world’s brightest minds for the conversations that shape our future.

“The Innovation and Social Impact Challenge is closely aligned with our mission,” states Barbara Van Allen, President and CEO of the Economic Club of New York, “which is to serve as a catalyst for innovative ideas and thoughts, leveraging our platform to introduce impactful content into the wider business and economic communities.”

This year, the Challenge was presented to the Club’s Class of 2024 Fellows with four themes to choose from: Artificial Intelligence, Corporate Governance, NYC Challenge, and/or Energy Independence. The eight participating teams and individuals brought forward concepts that can benefit not only New York or the United States, but also the broader community and humankind. The 2024 judges included Club Trustees Dan Neff [Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz], Reshma Saujani [Girls Who Code & Moms First], Club President and CEO Barbara Van Allen, and ECNY Member Janice Ellig [Ellig Group].

At the Club's Signature Luncheon with Ken Griffin, CEO of Citadel, on November 21, 2024, two projects were recognized as the 2024 Innovation and Social Impact Challenge Winners:

• 1st Place – Sahana Athreya [Navigator AI], for her work on “Implementation of Ethics in AI Warfare.”
• 2nd Place – Sahana Athreya [Navigator AI], Derby Chukwudi [J.P. Morgan Asset Management], and Rahmila Nadi [Harvard University] for their work on "Harnessing AI in Finance to Enhance Decision-making, Productivity, Risk Analysis and Regulatory Compliance."

The Economic Club of New York’s 2024 Innovation and Social Impact Challenge winners will go on to receive a monetary prize, an additional donation to a charity of their choice, and the potential to see their proposals come to fruition.

“It’s just mathematically impossible to find $2 trillion,” Glenn Hubbard, a former economic adviser to George W. Bush and former dean of Columbia University’s Business School, said during the same Economic Club of New York event.

Of course, it’s almost never been smart to bet against Musk, the world’s richest person. And some business leaders are excited by his ambitious goals.

Read More: Wall Street isn’t buying Trump’s deportation threats or Elon Musk’s spending cut claims

Billionaire Ken Griffin, who relocated his Citadel financial conglomerate to Miami in 2022, weighed in on the debate in an interview at the Economic Club of New York last week.

“The mayor of Chicago is a former member of the teachers union, negotiating with the teachers union,” Griffin said. “The taxpayers and the children are left out in the cold.”
 

“Ultimately, it kills your dollar and it kills everything the dollar represents,” he said in response to a question from Sullivan & Cromwell senior chair H. Rodgin Cohen following his speech at the Economic Club of New York earlier this year.

“You’re losing Iran. You’re losing Russia. China is out there trying to get their currency to be the dominant currency,” he added. “I want to use sanctions as little as possible.”

Read More: Are tariffs the new sanctions?

In an interview at the Economic Club of New York, Griffin said he was “gravely concerned” that Trump’s plan to impose tariffs and curtail immigration would impose huge inflationary pressure on the US economy.

Read More: Trump’s tariff plan would put US on path to ‘crony capitalism’, Griffin says

Billionaire Ken Griffin, who relocated his Citadel financial conglomerate to Miami in 2022, weighed in on the debate in an interview at the Economic Club of New York last week. “The mayor of Chicago is a former member of the teachers union, negotiating with the teachers union,” Griffin said. “The taxpayers and the children are left out in the cold.”

Read More: Chicago’s Elite Fights Progressive Mayor Over Schools and Taxes

Just to set the table, back in September, Donald Trump gave this speech at the Economic Club of New York, and one of the things he talked about is housing. DONALD TRUMP: Families now need to earn an estimated $110,000 a year to afford a typical home, meaning 65% of households are locked out of buying.

Read More: Trump's plans for the housing market

Scott Bessent sat directly to Donald Trump’s left as the then presidential candidate laid out his economic agenda to a roomful of Wall Street bigwigs at the Economic Club of New York in September.

Read More: ‘Sigh of relief’: Wall Street welcomes Donald Trump’s pick of Scott Bessent for Treasury secretary

Trump’s pick for Treasury is an attempt to strike a middle ground between the worlds of MAGA and money. Bessent is loyal to Trump. He donated nearly $2 million in this latest campaign and served as a close adviser, especially for Trump’s appearance at the Economic Club of New York in September. But he also clearly understands how markets — including the U.S. debt market — work. He would bring credibility to a Cabinet that has some clowns.

Read More: Opinion | Trump’s treasury secretary pick is a peace offering to Wall Street

During a Fox Business interview after Trump spoke at at the Economic Club of New York in September, Bessent was asked what he liked most about Trump's economic plan.

"I think it's the melding of economic policy with national security. Economic policy and national security are now inseparable, and Donald Trump understands that," Bessent said then, adding that Trump's vision was "a formula for independence and energy and manufacturing, for getting our finances in order."

Read More: Trump picks Scott Bessent to serve as treasury secretary

On the campaign trail, however, he offered few specifics to tackle the issue, telling the Economic Club of New York in September that he’d “take care of it” through revenue from tariffs — a likelihood most economists doubt. “As much as child care is talked about as being expensive, it’s relatively speaking not very expensive compared to the kind of numbers we’ll be taking in,” Trump said at the time.

Read More: Child care cost as much as rent for many families at inflation's peak, new data shows

While speaking Thursday at the Economic Club of New York, Griffin said he appreciates the importance of those issues to Americans but said aggressive tactics to address them could make things work.

Read More: Citadel's Ken Griffin considers selling minority shares whilst handing out political advice to Trump

“I am gravely concerned that the rise of tariffs puts us on a slippery slope towards crony capitalism,” the billionaire investor said Thursday at the Economic Club of New York.

Read More: Citadel’s Ken Griffin says Trump’s tariffs could lead to crony capitalism

Griffin, at an event hosted by the Economic Club of New York, said it made sense for him to sell a minority stake in his market maker Citadel Securities to Sequoia and Paradigm in 2022, in a deal that valued the firm at $22 billion.

Read More: Citadel’s Ken Griffin open to selling a minority stake in his hedge fund

Speaking on Thursday at the Economic Club of New York, Griffin said that while immigration and inflation were clearly the two biggest problems for voters this election, severe policy responses could hurt the country and the economy.

Read More: Billionaire Citadel founder Ken Griffin's advice for Trump: Don't cut taxes, let ambitious immigrants into the US, and hire Apollo CEO Marc Rowan

"I am gravely concerned that the rise of tariffs puts us on a slippery slope towards crony capitalism," billionaire investor Ken Griffin said at the Economic Club of New York. The Citadel founder said domestic companies could enjoy a short-term benefit of having their competitors taken away.

Read More: Citadel's Ken Griffin says Trump's tariffs could lead to crony capitalism

“We would be open to the possibility of selling a minority stake in Citadel at some point in the future,” he said in an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday at the Economic Club of New York.

Read More: Ken Griffin Open to Citadel Stake Sale, Warns of Tariff Risks

In an interview with Bloomberg on Thursday at the Economic Club of New York, Griffin stated, "We would be open to the possibility of selling a minority stake in Citadel at some point in the future."

Read More: GOP Megadonor Ken Griffin Is 'Open To The Possibility' Of Selling Minority Stake In Citadel

Trump has vowed to loosen restrictions that he says are preventing the construction of new homes. In September, he told an event at the Economic Club of New York that he would "eliminate regulations that drive up housing costs, with the goal of cutting the cost of a new home in half."

Read More: Mortgage rates pose new threat to housing market, frustrating buyers