David Axelrod, Strategist Who Helped Obama Win 2008 Election, Says Biden Should Withdraw From Presidential Race

The strategist responsible for orchestrating Barack Obama‘s successful presidential campaign in 2008 has suggested that President Joe Biden withdraw from the 2024 presidential race, following a negative poll that indicates he is well behind his opponent, former President Donald Trump.

David Axelrod highlighted recent polling data released by the New York Times and Siena College on Sunday, indicating that Biden is trailing behind Trump in five critical battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania. He had won all of these states when he ran against Trump in the 2020  election.

In a post on X, Axelrod wrote: “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?”

According to a survey of 3,662 voters who are registered in swing states, Biden is leading over Trump only in Wisconsin.

In the remaining five states, Trump is ahead of Biden by a range of four to 10 percentage points among registered voters.

The survey further revealed that Biden only has a slight lead among young voters below 30 and his popularity among Hispanic voters is decreasing. Black voters, who typically support Democrats, are giving Trump an approval rating of 22%.

Many of these voters mentioned Biden’s age as a factor, with a significant 71% believing he is too old to be president. Even among his own supporters, 54% agreed with this sentiment, while Trump had a lower percentage of his own supporters (19%) who felt the same way about his age.

To counter these concerns, Biden’s campaign has been highlighting Trump’s mistakes and blunders during his campaign.