'VERY FORWARD'

MAGA Billionaire’s Pal Defends His Cheesy Pick-Up Line

His Harvard buddy defended the line that went viral on X on Saturday.

Billionaire Bill Ackman’s longtime friend, Whitney Tilson, stuck his neck out in defense of Ackman’s college pick-up line after it was torn apart online. Tilson, a former hedge fund executive who knew Ackman from their Harvard days, told Business Insider that the Pershing Square CEO would recount his success using his “May I meet you?” line, particularly on the subway. “That’s Bill. He’s just very forward. If you know his history as an investor and so forth, he is the most stubborn, persistent person I know. And he will stick his neck out,” Tilson told the outlet Monday. Though Tilson, who ran for New York City mayor, added he never witnessed Ackman using the line in person. The billionaire father of three went viral for the line after posting it to X on Saturday, only for it to be mocked by commenters. Ackman, who is worth $9.2 billion, was formerly a Democratic donor before changing his tune, even calling Trump “the most pro-business president we’ve ever had.” Tilson added, “I haven’t talked to him about this particular tweet, but I don’t think he expected it to go viral the way it did. It’s sort of benign, if you think about it.”