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The Cry Grows Louder — Should Joe Biden Step Aside?

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The Cry Grows Louder — Should Joe Biden Step Aside?

Author: Greg Valliere

September 14, 2023

RARELY HAS ONE COLUMN shook Washington like the one written this week by the Washington Post’s David Ignatius, urging Joe Biden to step aside. And then came the call from Sen. Mitt Romney that the country needs a new generation of politicians. Clearly, age is a dominant issue in American politics.IGNATIUS IS ONE OF THE MOST RESPECTED COLUMNISTS in the country — in the top tier with George Will and Tom Freidman. Liberals like Ignatius essentially are making this argument: Biden could lose in the 2024 general election, which could subject the country to “the nightmare of a revenge presidency,” Ignatius wrote.

ROMNEY WAS JUST AS BLUNT, declaring in his resignation announcement yesterday that it’s time for politicians of his age (76) to step down. He specifically said that Biden (80) and Donald Trump (77) should not run again.

IN BOTH PARTIES, THE FOCUS IS ON BIDEN: He looks and sounds frail, and his verbal gaffes have become so numerous that his staff tries to keep him out of public appearances. His comment at a press conference in Vietnam last week that “it’s time to go to bed” will be replayed over and over in next year’s election campaign.

DEMOCRATS IN THIS TOWN WORRY that Biden could lose to the very vulnerable Trump, who faces four individual trials and 91 indictments. Yet Trump is the overwhelming favorite to be the Republican nominee, and he leads slightly in some general election polls.

THE CRUCIAL ISSUE for the Democrats is that there’s no clear successor to Biden. Kamala Harris is widely viewed as a disappointment, the dynamic Gavin Newsom is considered too liberal for the country, and virtually no one has heard of most of the other potential candidates, including rising star Andy Beshear, the moderate governor of conservative Kentucky.

THE REPUBLICANS have a stronger bench, with relative youngsters Ron DeSantis (45) and Nikki Haley (51) and several young governors. But virtually all of them have pledged allegiance to Trump if he wins the nomination. Most Republicans pledge allegiance to Trump even if he’s in jail.

WHEREVER WE GO, PEOPLE ASK whether there’s a chance of a serious third party candidate. The answer is no — the filing deadlines are fast approaching and other than Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin or West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, it appears that neither party has a likely game changer. What about Robert F. Kennedy Jr.? Be serious.

COULD TRUMP BE DENIED BALLOT ACCESS in the 2024 general election because of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, which prohibits an insurrectionist from running? Legal scholars say it’s possible but we say it’s never going to happen.

SO IT LOOKS LIKE neither Biden nor Trump will heed the call from a growing percentage of Americans to step aside for the next generation. Wait until 2028 . . . .


The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the opinions of AGF, its subsidiaries or any of its affiliated companies, funds or investment strategies.

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.

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Written by

Greg Valliere

Greg Valliere

Chief U.S. Policy Strategist

AGF Investments

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