Zinger Key Points
- Jamie Dimon, if he had opted to run for office, could have been the north centrist candidate, says Bill Ackman.
- Given his focus on bettering Buffett's record in investment, public office is not the option in the near term, he says.
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Pershing Square founder Bill Ackman has been very vocal on social media regarding his political standing and has even backed a few candidates.
No Viable Alternatives: The country will be very well served if it has younger alternative candidates to Donald Trump and President Joe Biden, said Ackman on the Julia La Roche Show podcast last week. A very high percentage of the population would like a viable alternative to Biden or Trump, he said.
“I would love to see us elect someone not by 51%. A landslide would be great. It would bring the country together,” Ackman said. But he expressed skepticism regarding the possibility with the current array of candidates.
The fund manager noted that, for a while, he held the view that if JPMorgan's Jamie Dimon were to run for the 2024 election as a Democrat, he could have been the top centrist candidate. “But so far, he hasn't put his hat in the ring.”
As Biden gets weaker and ages in the job, the more likely that another candidate emerges, the fund manager said. “I'm surprised that we haven't had more and better alternatives run for Democratic nomination,” he added.
“I think Biden's very beatable by a strong candidate,” Ackman said.
See Also: How To Invest In Hedge Funds
Ackman For Office? When asked whether he would ever run for office, the Pershing Square founder suggested he might not, although he did not rule it out completely.
“I love my day job… I've got a lot more here…my personal business plan … goal, of course, is to have a better record than Mr. [Warren] Buffett,” Ackman said. Buffett has a track record of over 60 years, while he has been at it for only 30 years, he said.
“I got 30-odd years to go and I don't want to make the same mistake as the Bidens and the older presidents,” Ackman said.
“I think it would be an interesting job but not something in the near term.”
Ackman also cited his young family as a reason for his reluctance as he would not want to expose them to public life.
Collage created using photo by Center For Jewish History, NYC on Wikimedia and engin akyurt on Unsplash
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