Republicans Splinter; What about Bad Bunny?
Author: Greg Valliere
October 8, 2025
Divided Republicans: Interesting article in Politico this morning, asserting that Republicans in both houses are exasperated with Donald Trump’s free-lancing on the shutdown.
This complicated narrative has shifted in the past couple of days, as Trump calls for withholding back pay to workers who have called in sick — especially pilots and air traffic controllers.
The GOP’s two leading Republicans — Mike Johnson and John Thune — have complained privately that they have been blindsided by Trump. Politicians in both parties are increasingly nervous; withholding back pay just two months before the holidays strike us as unwise.
We still think negotiations will heat up by late this week, with serious talks beginning next week. But dealing with a divided Republican party complicates the narrative; it gives Democrats an opportunity to hang on for a while longer; they smell victory.
A little humor, badly needed: rapper Bad Bunny, who has a huge following, will be the Super Bowl halftime act next year. This did not please Trump. “Never heard of him,” he said. Trump called the NFL “ridiculous.”
The Bunny is a Puerto Rican who has an enormous following. He’s funny, he’s a goof, but this has not impressed Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, who declared that “ICE agents will be all over the Super Bowl.”
The intense political bitterness that has engulfed the nation has even dragged in a football game.
The views expressed in this blog are provided as a general source of information based on information available as of the date of publication and should not be considered as personal investment advice or an offer or solicitation to buy and/or sell securities. Speculation or stated believes about future events, such as market or economic conditions, company or security performance, or other projections represent the beliefs of the author and do not necessarily represent the view of AGF, its subsidiaries or any of its affiliated companies, funds or investment strategies. Every effort has been made to ensure accuracy in these commentaries at the time of publication; however, accuracy cannot be guaranteed. Market conditions may change and AGF accepts no responsibility for individual investment decisions arising from the use of or reliance on the information contained herein. Any financial projections are based on the opinions of the author and should not be considered as a forecast. The forward looking statements and opinions may be affected by changing economic circumstances and are subject to a number of uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in the forward looking statements. The information contained in this commentary is designed to provide you with general information related to the political and economic environment in the United States. It is not intended to be comprehensive investment advice applicable to the circumstances of the individual.
AGF Investments is a group of wholly owned subsidiaries of AGF Management Limited, a Canadian reporting issuer. The subsidiaries included in AGF Investments are AGF Investments Inc. (AGFI), AGF Investments America Inc. (AGFA), AGF Investments LLC (AGFUS) and AGF International Advisors Company Limited (AGFIA). AGFA and AGFUS are registered advisors in the U.S. AGFI is a registered as a portfolio manager across Canadian securities commissions. AGFIA is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and registered with the Australian Securities & Investments Commission. The subsidiaries that form AGF Investments manage a variety of mandates comprised of equity, fixed income and balanced assets.
About AGF Management Limited
Founded in 1957, AGF Management Limited (AGF) is an independent and globally diverse asset management firm. Our companies deliver excellence in investing in the public and private markets through three business lines: AGF Investments, AGF Capital Partners and AGF Private Wealth.
AGF brings a disciplined approach, focused on incorporating sound, responsible and sustainable corporate practices. The firm’s collective investment expertise, driven by its fundamental, quantitative and private investing capabilities, extends globally to a wide range of clients, from financial advisors and their clients to high-net worth and institutional investors including pension plans, corporate plans, sovereign wealth funds, endowments and foundations.
Headquartered in Toronto, Canada, AGF has investment operations and client servicing teams on the ground in North America and Europe. AGF serves more than 800,000 investors. AGF trades on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the symbol AGF.B.
For further information, please visit AGF.com.
©2025 AGF Management Limited. All rights reserved.
