The Josh Hammer Report

Josh Hammer

Newsweek Senior Editor-at-Large And Host,
"The Josh Hammer Show"

Welcome back! A quick programming note: I will be off next week for an exciting international trip, which I am sure I will have much to say about upon my return. But there will be no newsletter next week.

This week, my column used the news hook of President Joe Biden's viscerally jarring fall in Colorado Springs last week to make a broader point about modern America's unhealthy and unsustainable gerontocracy. No matter where one looks—from the presidency to the Senate to the judiciary to the universities to the financial industry, and so forth—the undeniable reality is that leading American institutions remain dominated by older, definitionally out-of-touch generations. It is time to begin phasing in more private-sector mandatory retirement ages and to amend the Constitution to implement mandatory retirement ages for oath-taking constitutional officers. The Baby Boomers have done more than enough damage to America, and we would be wise to move on. Furthermore, when it comes to the 2024 GOP presidential primary, Republicans should do their part by choosing a younger, hungrier, scrappier Gen X conservative and not an eccentric Boomer who personifies many of his generation's shortcomings.

I have had two podcast episodes since my last newsletter. Last week, I was joined by my friend Dave Rubin, host of the popular "Rubin Report" show (and now my podcast's first-ever two-time guest), to discuss Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' formal announcement of his 2024 presidential candidacy and break down the already-unfolding pitched battle between DeSantis and former President Donald Trump (not to mention their two camps of online backers). Dave is always a phenomenal guest and conversationalist, so you won't want to miss that episode. You can listen on Apple, Spotify or here. This week, I recorded a solo episode (catch it on Apple, Spotify, or here) where I provided an update regarding my surprisingly civil and pleasant recent "debate" with radio host Mark Levin (see below), analyzed the blatantly false choice many are setting up between "the economy" and "fighting wokeism" when it comes to the 2024 presidential primary, assessed the latest additions to the 2024 field, and discussed my newly launched (and self-explanatory) side venture, "Jews Against Soros" (see below).

In terms of media appearances over the past week, I have done a couple of CenterClip audio op-eds on the GOP's internal divisions and the need to recover American energy independence, joined "The Seth Leibsohn Show" on Phoenix-based 960 The Patriot to discuss the launch of "Jews Against Soros," had my much-anticipated appearance on the nationally syndicated "Mark Levin Show" to discuss conservative principles and the rise of national conservatism, joined Joel Pollak on SiriusXM Patriot's "Breitbart News Sunday" to discuss the launch of "Jews Against Soros," joined "John Bachman Now" on Newsmax to discuss the ongoing Biden scandal-related stand-off between House Republicans and FBI Director Christopher Wray, joined "The Jason Rantz Show" on Seattle-based AM 770 KTTH to discuss "Jews Against Soros," joined "Rob Schmitt Tonight" on Newsmax to discuss the same topic, and (as always) co-hosted the latest production of the Edmund Burke Foundation's "NatCon Squad" podcast.

As mentioned above, my friend (and current Missouri attorney general candidate) Will Scharf and I last week launched a new grassroots coalition to combat the pernicious influence of left-wing mega-donor George Soros, and to push back against the risible assertion that all criticism of Soros is thinly veiled Jew-hatred: "Jews Against Soros." You can read all about the new group here. Our launch was widely covered in conservative media outlets, Jewish media, international media, and elsewhere. You can sign up to receive future updates at JewsAgainstSoros.com.

Our highlighted right-leaning Newsweek op-eds this week include selections from Pedro L. Gonzalez, Patrick T. Brown, Dan Currell, Paul du Quenoy, and Gordon G. Chang.

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Spotlight

BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP/GETTY

End American Gerontocracy

President Joe Biden's viscerally jarring fall on Thursday in Colorado Springs, while on stage dispensing diplomas to new U.S. Air Force Academy graduates, underscores a terrifying reality: The octogenarian denizen of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, palpably in the throes of debilitating mental and physical senescence, is not well. The sight of the commander-in-chief physically falling in front of a graduating Air Force Academy class, no less, is outright depressing to active-duty servicemen and telegraphs national weakness to America's many adversaries abroad.

Make no mistake about it: Joe Biden is an absolutely massive liability as president of the United States, in charge of the nuclear football and primarily responsible for issues of war and peace. His vice presidential junior sidekick and would-be successor, the cackling nincompoop Kamala Harris, may well be totally insufferable, but this column has argued—and still maintains—that Biden should resign for the good of the country. At a bare minimum, it is foolish and selfish in the extreme for the doddering dolt from Delaware to seek reelection in 2024.

Biden's Centennial State fall is hardly the only recent example of a high-ranking senior citizen appearing less-than-stellar in the public eye. The 89-year-old Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), whose political career first began in 1970 (one year before Biden's), recently missed over two months of senatorial work while recovering from a nasty bout of shingles and encephalitis. When she finally made her way back to the Capitol, Feinstein, in the words of a May 18 New York Times article, "appeared shockingly diminished." Since returning, the now-wheelchair-bound Feinstein has required additional staff assistance to merely cast her votes and has apparently forgotten she was ever out of commission to begin with: "No, I haven't been gone," she told Slate on May 16. Come again?

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