Trump supporters, for the most part, have always been amused at the antics of those who have been deemed the “Never Trumpers.” They tend to populate all of the mainstream media talking head news shows, primarily because they are allegedly Republicans willing to trash other Republicans, but they decry any Donald Trump presidency or those who support him. They long for the days of John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Liz Cheney, and soon, Mitt Romney. The days when Republicans didn’t rock the boat and were willing to “lose with dignity.” Well, move over, Never-Trumpers; there are new kids on the block. Meet the “Never-Bidens.”
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Joe Biden is making friends fast. Ok, not really. In fact, it’s just the opposite. In addition to a recent New York Times/Siena College/Philadelphia Enquirer poll that shows he is losing key Democrat voter demographics like black and Hispanic voters and young people, he is also losing some heavy hitters in the arena of big money donors. One of the main reasons is Biden’s recent statement that he would halt any arms shipments to Israel. Biden has since backtracked on that statement, but the damage may have already been done.
Cliff Asness is the co-founder of AQR Capital Management and a Republican donor. He contributed roughly seven figures to Nikki Haley’s campaign and could have well been considered a “Never-Trumper.” Based on Biden’s initial arms to Israel statement, that is changing. He stated:
“Biden is a huge disappointment, really a moral outrage with this arms embargo being only the latest and greatest outrage. Despite my long opposition to him, this makes me more likely, though I haven’t quite gotten there yet, to see Trump as the better of two bad alternatives.”
Bill Ackman is a name you might have heard recently. Ackman is a Harvard alumnus and was instrumental in the ousting of Claudine Gay as president of Harvard because of Gay’s plagiarizing other’s work. After Biden’s comments, he tweeted, “one of the worst acts against an ally of a sitting president ever. Hopefully, this means he won’t be sitting for longer.” Ackman now considers himself a “centrist” and “will vote for and support whoever is best for our country regardless of their party affiliation.” That just might be Donald Trump.
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Michael Granoff is a managing partner in Maniv, a venture fund committed to clean transportation technology. He voted for Joe Biden in 2020, but the only vote he will give him in 2024 is one of no confidence. He said, “I am not voting for Biden. I’m not saying I’m voting for Trump, but it’s a nonzero chance now.” Granoff feels that Biden did a flip-flop on the commitments he made regarding Israel after the October 7 Hamas. He added:
“The speech he gave on October 11 was one of the finest speeches a president has ever made. Had he stuck to that policy, he would be leading in the race right now. I would be raising money for him.”
The “Never-Biden” movement may have been brewing for quite a while, as far back as the State of the Union speech in early March. In the speech, Biden rattled off casualty figures from the Gaza Ministry of Health, which is run by Hamas. The incomplete data provided did not distinguish between dead civilians and dead combatants. While not a “Never-Biden” himself, former Trump Ambassador to Israel David Freidman says he definitely sees a trend in Jewish donors leaning toward Trump. He stated:
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“I think the announcement (Biden’s initial arms to Israel statement) on Wednesday, was the last straw for people who were already leaning very close to going for Trump. There is clearly a change going on, people who are active in politics with big money, people who were never Trumpers or reluctant ‘hold your nose Trumpers’ are telling me that Trump has to win.”
It’s a balancing act that Joe Biden is clearly losing. He is trying to placate the pro-Hamas wing of the Democrat Party — the Rashida Tlaibs and the Ilhan Omars — while trying to maintain the Jewish vote, which has long been a reliable Democrat voting bloc. In the process, he is making everyone angry, including the folks with the money.
Whether Democrats like it or not, Joe Biden’s treatment of Israel is an election issue for those on both sides of the conflict. Billionaire entertainment mogul Haim Saban is a major Democrat donor. He may have said it best in a recent email to two senior White House advisors, “Let’s not forget that there are more Jewish voters who care about Israel than Muslim voters that care about Hamas.” Which side will Joe Biden choose?
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