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Bill Ackman rules out voting for Joe Biden, chastises him over inaction on Gaza hostage crisis
Hedge fund billionaire Bill Ackman, who has been a staunch critic of Biden administration policies, has ruled out voting for the incumbent ahead of 2024 US elections.
In a post on X on Thursday, April 25, Ackman wrote: “For anyone who is still confused on the topic, I am not voting for Biden.”
He did not completely rule out the prospect of voting for Donald Trump, the likely Republican presidential nominee, when pressed by a conservative journalist.
“And yes, I am open to voting for [Donald Trump],” he said, hinting that he would make his final call just before the election date. “I will share whom I am supporting when I make my decision closer to the election. I like to preserve optionality,” he said.
In a separate thread, the billionaire admitted that he voted for Trump in 2016.
Meanwhile, Trump’s early polling advantage against Biden has shrunk as he has been on trial in two different cases in Manhattan. However, a number of recent surveys indicate that Biden will defeat Trump in November.
In a two-way race, Biden leads Trump 51% to 48%, according to the most recent Marist poll.
Also Read: Who is billionaire Bill Ackman, and what’s his agenda against Harvard?
Ackman reacts to Biden signing Ukraine and Israeli aid bill into law
Ackman also replied to a post about the White House briefing on Biden’s signing of the bill providing aid to Israel and the Ukraine. Biden came under fire for his lack of decisive action over the hostages held in Gaza.
According to Ackman, Biden has not taken ownership of the hostage issue so far. “I have heard him talk about calls for a ceasefire, shrinkflation, hotel fees, and four more years, but not the fact that hostages including American hostages are still being held in Gaza.”
He blasted Biden for not explicitly stating that freeing the captives is his top priority, adding that the incumbent is “too focused on other talking points in an attempt to get re-elected.”
The hostage issue came to the limelight on Wednesday after Hamas published a video of Israeli-American Hersh Goldberg-Polin, who was kidnapped during the terror group’s October 7 attacks on Israel. Nearly 1,200 Israelis were killed in the attack, while over 250 hostages were taken captive.