Former President Obama’s senior adviser David Axelrod said it’s the last moment for President Biden to check if he should drop out of the 2024 presidential race, after suggesting he should do so.
On Sunday, Axelrod, in the wake of a new poll showing Biden trailing former President Trump in key swing states, said Biden needs to decide if it’s wise to continue his run. The poll found Biden trailing Trump in five out of six battleground states, including Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
When questioned about his comments Monday, Axelrod told CNN that its a good time for Biden to check if he should keep up his campaign. Sunday marked one year before the election.
“As I’ve said for like a couple years now, the issue’s not — for him is not political, its actuarial. You can see that in this poll and there’s just a lot of concern about the age issue, and that is something I think he needs to ponder. Just do a check and say, ‘Is this the right thing to do?’” Axelrod said.
“Is this the best path? I suspect that he will say yes, but time is fleeting here, and this is probably the last moment for him to do that check, and it’s probably good if he does,” the Obama alum added.
The poll is a major warning to Biden’s campaign after he carried all six battleground states in 2020 against Trump. The poll found that Biden was ahead of Trump only in Wisconsin.
Axelrod told CNN that he’s not reacting to one poll with his comments but has had conversations with people and finds 2024 a unique year considering the threat of Trump — who is leading the GOP primary race — on the other side of the aisle.
He mentioned that Obama had “lousy polling numbers at this time in our campaign” when he was running for reelection. But, he noted there are two main differences between 2011 and now— Biden’s age and Trump. Biden, 80, would be 86 at the end of a second term.
“Obama was 50 and not 81, and we didn’t have Donald Trump on the other side. So those are two factors that have to be considered,” Axelrod said.
Biden has faced criticism and growing concern over his age since his 2020 campaign, and this criticism has continued throughout his time in the White House.
Axelrod’s comments follow a series of calls from some Democrats who have suggested Biden’s age makes him “too old” to run for reelection next year. The president and the White House has argued it is fair for voters to discuss his age, but he has said they should judge him on his ability to perform the job.