Carl Icahn, Trump’s potential pick for treasury secretary
One of the world’s richest men. A ruthless corporate raider. A brilliant loner. A philosopher and chess player, always thinking 10 moves ahead of you. The phone call that CEOs can’t afford to ignore. A Rhodesian Ridgeback going for the jugular of corporate lions.
These are some of the most common descriptions of Carl Icahn, the 79-year-old investor whom Forbes ranked as the world’s 31st-richest person in 2015. Icahn’s name has been in the news for decades, mostly because of his battles with the executives of dozens of high-profile companies.
Now he is once again in the spotlight, as his longtime business contact, friend and rival Donald Trump, the front-running Republican presidential candidate, says he will nominate Icahn for treasury secretary.
A financial Robin Hood
Icahn is a fascinating figure, seen as a kind of financial Robin Hood by some and a misanthropic attack dog by others — often depending on whether the speaker has been in Icahn’s scope. Icahn grew up in the lower-middle-class neighborhood of Far Rockaway, Queens, and still retains a Queens accent, relatively modest tastes for one of the world’s richest men, a working-class identity — and, some would say, a chip on his shoulder.
Read more: http://www.mystatesman.com/news/news/national-govt-politics/carl-icahn-trumps-potential-pick-for-treasury-secr/nnr6K/