David Axelrod, Photo: Instagram/ President Joe Biden in the Georgetown section of Washington, Sept. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
Former President Barack Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod has his doubts about President Joe Biden’s 2024 presidential campaign in the wake of a recent poll indicating Biden trails former President Donald Trump.
Pointing to a New York Times and Siena College poll, Axelrod took to Twitter and suggested that Biden reconsider running. He highlighted that Biden’s resolve to run remains firm, but the poll results have sent “tremors of doubt” through the Democratic Party. Axelrod emphasized that these concerns are not unfounded and should not be taken lightly.
The poll revealed that Biden lags behind Trump in several battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, and Pennsylvania, by margins ranging from 3 to 10 percentage points. Only in Wisconsin was Biden ahead by 2 percentage points, The Hill reported.
Axelrod also pointed out that Biden’s age is a significant liability, and it’s something that cannot change. At 80 years old, Biden is already the oldest U.S. president in history, and if reelected in 2024, he would be 86 by the end of his second term. The same poll showed that a majority of participants believe Biden is “just too old to be an effective president” and question his “mental sharpness.”
Axelrod also tweeted that it might be too late for the Democrats to pick another candidate. He posted, “It’s very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict & Biden’s team says his resolve to run is firm.”
“Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, [norms], laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying,” Axelrod wrote in a separate post. “But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore,” The Hill reported.
“Only @JoeBiden can make this decision,” he continued. “If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise, whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”
During an interview with CNN’s “Situation Room,” Axelrod claimed that people who are concerned about Biden’s poll numbers should not be dismissed.
He also encouraged the president to begin a more “aggressive” campaign immediately, Fox News reported.
David Axelrod, Photo: Instagram, https://www.instagram.com/thedavidaxelrod/?hl=en/ President Joe Biden in the Georgetown section of Washington, Sept. 23, 2023. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
