This interview is part of Moment’s Jewish Political Voices Project. To learn more about the project, click here. To see our other participants, click here. To see all posts from Jeff, click here.
Age: 54
Occupation: Hedge-fund portfolio manager
Location: Mountain Lakes, NJ
Party Registration: Independent
Jewish Denomination: Conservative
Current 2024 Vote: Kamala Harris
2020 Vote: Joe Biden
Family: Married; seven children
News Sources: The New York Times, Bloomberg, X (formerly Twitter)
Does VP Kamala Harris put the Democrats in a better position to beat former President Donald Trump in November?
I think Kamala Harris is in a marginally better place to defeat Trump than Biden, but not much better. The policies that the administration is faulted on, like immigration, will still be viewed as her policies. I also believe this administration has run on a negative message of “orange -guy -bad”, as opposed to a positive message. Previous successful candidates on both sides, from Reagan to Clinton to Obama, had positive messages of their own.
Does Trump have enough political strength to overcome the absence of his main target: Biden?
Trump’s main target was “establishment elites,” not Biden. He can successfully beat Harris, as she is viewed as part of the establishment. I would have preferred a lesser-known candidate that can sell a new message without the baggage of the current administration.
Who is better on Israel/Gaza, Harris or Trump?
That’s a tough one. I think Trump gets the edge here, but only because the current administration was too tolerant and quiet on campus protests, etc.