David Axelrod, one of the architects of Barack Obama’s two victorious presidential campaigns, says President Joe Biden should reconsider running for reelection in the wake of a dismal new poll that shows Donald Trump leading in five swing states.
Axelrod, who in 2019 called Biden “perhaps the strongest candidate” against Trump in what at the time was a still-emerging Democratic field, wrote on X that there is “legitimate concern” this time around as he shared some of the poll’s findings:
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.
He’s defied CW before but this will send tremors of doubt thru the party–not “bed-wetting,” but legitimate concern. https://t.co/g6zeWF0T87— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 5, 2023
Polls this far out are notoriously unreliable.
However, Axelrod noted that Biden’s “biggest liability” among voters “is the one thing he can’t change,” and that’s his age.
Biden turns 81 later this month, and Axelrod said, “The age arrow only points in one direction.”
Axelrod said Biden should be proud of what he has achieved, but warned of the consequences of miscalculating against Trump, who he called “a dangerous, unhinged demagogue.”
He said only Biden can make the call on continuing his campaign.
“What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?” he wrote, then added:
Yes, there also is risk associated with changing course now, as there is little time left for a primary campaign–and campaigns are how we test candidates. (Re @RonDeSantis.) But there is a lot of leadership talent in the Democratic Party, poised to emerge.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) November 5, 2023
Biden’s campaign has dismissed the poll.
“We’ll win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by fretting about a poll,” spokesperson Kevin Muñoz said in a statement.
