David Axelrod, the man who helped Barack Obama mastermind his bid for the White House in 2008, now says President Joe Biden’s age is a major problem for Democrats and there is no clear solution.
It comes after Biden, 80, suffered an embarrassing moment of confusion at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier as he stumbled through a Veterans Day service.
Although he made no reference to it Sunday, Axelrod — who served as chief strategist of Obama’s two White House campaigns — said Biden’s age is becoming an issue as he takes aim at the president for the second time in a week.
“I think there’s one issue hanging over him,” Axelrod told CNN’s Dana Bash in a conversation with former Republican Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan. I think with Donald Trump on the other side he could still win this election. But the age issue is difficult.’
Despite Trump being only three years younger, polls have shown Biden is more sensitive to being seen as “too old” to run for re-election. Axelrod says all the other problems Biden faces can be solved.
David Axelrod, the man who helped Barack Obama mastermind his bid for the White House in 2008, now says President Joe Biden’s age is a major problem for Democrats and there is no clear solution
‘The country is in a sour mood, there is no doubt about that. It’s hard to be a sitting president, and he’s been in a gloomy mood since he was elected. There are concerns about inflation, that is a problem. They could be overcome.”
Although Axelrod suggested last week on the very same network that Biden is considering dropping out, he does believe Biden will be the nominee in 2024.
However, he adds that people like Phillips, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Cornel West could split the votes and hand the presidency back to Trump.
“I believe that Joe Biden will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. And now we come to the point of the third party,” he said.
“My concern is that Donald Trump has a high floor and a low ceiling, and you throw in a bunch of third-party candidates and you make it much more likely that he will win the election.”
Axelrod is credited with revolutionizing modern campaigning due to his winning media management strategy for the Obama and Biden campaigns in 2008 and 2012.
The president required stage directions from an Arlington honor guard after laying a ceremonial wreath, taking several steps in the wrong direction before being directed to his spot next to Vice President Kamala Harris.
Biden delivered a speech about the “ultimate sacrifice” of U.S. troops, acknowledging escalating global tensions and praising how “Americans around the world stand guard, often at great personal risk.”
Although he made no reference to it on Sunday, Axelrod — who served as chief strategist of Obama’s two White House campaigns — said Biden’s age is becoming an issue as he takes aim at the president for the second time in a week.
After laying a ceremonial wreath, Biden appeared to need direction from a military officer as he took steps in the wrong direction
“War and conflict, death and loss, are not remnants of our American history; they are part of our American story.”
As Biden spoke, hundreds of pro-Palestinian demonstrators descended on his Delaware mansion to protest US support for Israel in the Middle East conflict.
Biden was joined at Arlington National Cemetery by Harris, First Lady Jill Biden and Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff to celebrate the armed forces.
The consternation over Biden’s age comes because the polls have never been worse for the president.
Opinion poll by The New York Times and Siena College showing the 80-year-old case against Donald Trump in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
The poll of 3,662 registered voters in Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin was conducted between October 22 and November 3. The margin of error for each state is between 4.4 and 4.8 percentage points.
Biden leads only in Wisconsin by 2 percentage points, and falls among registered voters by a margin of four to 10 percentage points among registered voters in the five other states, according to the poll.
Arizona, Georgia, Nevada and Pennsylvania were four of the states in which the Democrat defeated then-President Donald Trump in their 2020 White House showdown.
Also present at the solemn service were (L-R) Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff, Vice President Kamala Harris and First Lady Jill Biden.
As Biden spoke in Arlington, hundreds of pro-Palestinian supporters descended on his Delaware mansion, criticizing U.S. support for Israel as the Middle East conflict escalates.
The same poll showed that two-thirds of the electorate sees the country going in the wrong direction under Biden.
Only 37 percent of people say they trust Biden with the economy, compared to 59 percent in Trump — which is one of the biggest gaps on the issue, the polls suggested.
Biden’s boast of “Bidenomics” also falls short — with a measly two percent saying the economy was “excellent” during his term.
According to statistics, young voters under thirty prefer Biden by just one percentage point – and men prefer Trump by double the margin than women prefer Biden.
Voters at all income levels believed that policies under Biden had harmed them personally (18 points disadvantage), while Trump’s policies had helped them (17 points advantage).
According to the data, Biden’s senile age of 80 also played a major role. 71 percent of pollsters – from every demographic group – said he was “too old.”
By comparison, only 39 percent thought Trump, 77, was too old.
Voters also favored Trump over Biden on immigration, national security and today’s Israel Palestine by 12, 12 and 11 points, respectively.
Meanwhile, Biden’s appeal to Hispanic voters is in the single digits and traditionally Democratic black voters now register 22 percent support for Trump.
‘Gallup predicted an eight-point loss for President Obama, after which he would win handily a year later. We will win in 2024 by putting our heads down and doing the work, not by worrying about a poll,” Kevin Munoz, a spokesman for Biden’s campaign, told The New York Times.
DailyMail.com found from 1,000 voters in a hypothetical 2024 head-to-head poll that Trump has a one-point lead over Biden.
New polls from the New York Times and Sienna Collage show Biden falling behind in five of the six key battleground states
“Only Joe Biden can make this decision. If he continues to run, he will become the Democratic Party’s nominee,” Axelrod said on X
One year after Election Day on November 5, 2024, Biden’s approval rating in Gallup is at 37 percent.
That is lower than his six immediate predecessors – Donald Trump, Barack Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George HW Bush and Ronald Reagan – at the same pace.
Only Jimmy Carter, who was at 32 percent, was more unpopular than Biden with a year to go, and Carter subsequently lost by a landslide.
Biden has raised concerns about his age, with recent blunders including looking confused about how to leave a stage at events and forgetting to tell stories.
