Former Obama adviser David Axelrod suggested it may be "wise" for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race, on the heels of a brutal new poll which found him losing to former President Trump by up to 10 points in five battleground states he won in 2020.
The New York Times-Siena College poll found Trump leading Biden by 10 points in Nevada, six points in Georgia, five points in both Arizona and Michigan, and four points in Pennsylvania. In Wisconsin, Biden held a two point lead over Trump. Biden won all six states in 2020.
The poll's findings prompted Axelrod to ask if it was in the country's "best interest" for the president to be the Democratic Party's nominee, with the risk of Trump defeating him in 2024.
"Only @JoeBiden can make this decision. 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?" Axelrod asked in a thread on X.
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Axelrod confessed it was late in the game for the Democratic Party to put forward another candidate, but this poll was an ominous sign for the party.
"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," he wrote.
Biden's "biggest liability" with voters is his age, Axelrod said. While he should be "proud of his accomplishments," the country had too much at stake to risk losing to Trump in the next election, the Obama official argued.
"The @POTUS is justly proud of his accomplishments. Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, norms, laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying. But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore," he warned.
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The new poll revealed several warning signs for the Democratic Party, beyond Biden's age. The Times reported Trump support from Black voters had reached unprecedented levels, with a record 22% of the demographic siding with him over Biden across the six states.
A majority of voters across all income levels also admitted they had been "personally hurt" by the president's policies, and trusted Trump over Biden by a large margin on handling the economy.
"Discontent pulsates throughout the Times/Siena poll, with a majority of voters saying Mr. Biden’s policies have personally hurt them," the Times reported. "The survey also reveals the extent to which the multiracial and multigenerational coalition that elected Mr. Biden is fraying. Demographic groups that backed Mr. Biden by landslide margins in 2020 are now far more closely contested, as two-thirds of the electorate sees the country moving in the wrong direction."
Democratic strategist James Carville has also warned his party about Biden's difficult prospects heading into 2024, saying voters "don't want" Biden as the nominee.
Last week, Axios reported that major Democratic figures were "quietly boosting their national profiles" to set themselves up for a presidential run in 2028, or 2024, if Biden unexpectedly dropped out of the race. Among them includes California Gov. Gavin Newsom, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, and New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker, the outlet said.
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Fox News' Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
