Barack Obama ‘thinks Joe Biden could LOSE the White House next year’, with president’s polls continuing to tank as worries over his age and cost of living crisis persist

Barack Obama is concerned about Joe Biden's prospects for next year's election and “believes Democrats could very well lose,” according to a report.

With Donald Trump leading in the polls and concerns about the president's age, immigration, Israeli policies and economic plan eroding confidence, says a person described by The Wall Street Journal Familiar with Obama's thinking, he said the former president had concerns.

Trump leads by 2 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average.

Obama “knows this will be a close race,” the source said, and “believes that Democrats could very well lose the 2024 election.”

Obama worries that “the alternative is quite dangerous for democracy,” the person said.

Biden, seen Thursday, faces strong electoral headwinds, a person close to Obama's thinking said. Obama is pictured on November 3

A new Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed – like many other polls over the past month – that Donald Trump was in the lead.

Even more worrying for Democrats, the poll shows independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. votes away from Biden and that 60 percent of voters say they want another option when it comes to the 2024 presidential race.

But the looming election rematch between Biden and Trump would be a fierce battle, with both candidates saddled with deep vulnerabilities that could cost them the White House.

Biden, 81, continues to be plagued by voters' doubts about the strength of the economy, as well as worries about the security of the U.S.-Mexico border and worries about crime.

Trump, 77, is facing his own concerns, including four criminal trials on a slew of charges related to his efforts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his handling of classified documents.

A conviction ahead of the November 5, 2024 elections could cost him significant support, the Reuters/Ipsos poll shows.

Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination by a wide margin, the poll showed.

Obama and Biden in October 2010, when Biden was vice president

Continued investigations into the business dealings of the president's son, Hunter Biden, and the impeachment inquiry announced this week will continue to create headaches next year.

Immigration will also continue to be a significant problem, with cities such as New York and Chicago struggling to cope with the influx.

“I want the president to do better,” said Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from a constituency on the Texas borderadding that he wants better polling for the president, “because it affects everyone.”

Biden faces a potentially game-changing vote on aid to Israel and Ukraine in the coming days. Republicans want to secure changes in border policy and immigration in return, and the deal hangs in the balance.

Securing the funding will provide a lifeline to Ukraine, but Biden may make damaging concessions on immigration and return to Trump-era policies, which would hurt him in the eyes of some voters.

Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said the president was working hard on national security issues, such as supporting Israel in its fight against Hamas and strengthening border security.

He said Biden was working, “even though Republicans in the House of Representatives are having such a hard time keeping up that they are already on vacation.”

Trump sits with his lawyers at the defense table at the New York Supreme Court on December 7

Trump told his fans on December 16 that immigrants are “pouring into our country” from Africa, Asia and around the world. He even claimed that 'no one even looks at them, they just come in'

The House of Representatives kicked off its holiday recess on Thursday, while the Senate returns to Washington next week.

Biden aides dismiss the relevance of the polls so far from the election, citing a frequent Biden refrain: “Don't compare me to the Almighty, compare me to the alternative.”

They believe that voters choosing between Biden and Trump will reject Trump because of his legal turmoil and continued promotion of election lies.

They also hope that Republicans will continue to be out of step with the electorate on abortion issues — most voters do not support the party's extremely hard line — and that strong economic data will finally make themselves felt at home.

“Recent data certainly gives us more evidence that the width of the runway for a soft landing has become much wider,” Lael Brainard, director of the National Economic Council, said on a call with reporters on Friday.

She highlighted continued low unemployment rates, a decline in inflation and wage growth.