Democrat political strategist David Axelrod has hit back at Joe Biden for calling him a “pr***” – telling him to “either leave or get to work” on his 2024 campaign.
It marks simmering tensions between the political heavyweights reaching a boiling point after Axelrod – Obama’s chief strategist – fueled their feud by highlighting Biden’s increasing age and declining standing in the polls.
Politico said this on Monday that the 80-year-old president responded by calling him “a pr***.” Asked about the diss during an interview with CNN Axelrod said Biden “wouldn’t be the first” to fire insults at him.
“Look, I understand, he was annoyed because I had expressed so many concerns Democrats have,” the former White House official said.
‘And again, my feeling is: leave or go. The stakes are so high: This isn’t Mitt Romney or John McCain or anyone else on the other side. It’s Donald Trump.’
President Joe Biden (left) called former President Barack Obama’s longtime adviser David Axelrod (right) a “pr***” after suggesting Biden might think twice about continuing his re-election bid
One of the things Axelrod said that irritated the president was the suggestion that Biden should run for a second term because it is in “HIS best interests” and not in the best interests of the country.
The poll is the latest to show Biden in trouble
Axelrod said the most important issue for 2024 would be “what American democracy will look like in the coming years.”
“He (Biden) knows that, but he has to look soberly at the entire landscape,” the Manhattan-born analyst said.
Their recent feud began on Nov. 5 when Axelrod questioned whether Biden should run for a second term in the White House and shared polls showing him trailing former President Donald Trump in five of six key swing states.
The results sparked new discussions in Democratic circles about whether Biden is the best Democratic candidate for a run against Trump.
November 5
Axelrod questioned whether it was “wise” for Biden to seek a second term given his advancing age.
He said “the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore” – and characterized Trump as a “dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose blatant disregard for the rules, norms, laws and institutions of democracy should be disqualifying.”
The Obama White House alum also advised Biden to consider whether he is running for re-election for himself or for the good of the country.
November 6
Axelrod’s tweets prompted Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi Biden, to issue her own response, labeling Axelrod a “jerk with a microphone.”
Naomi Biden (L), the granddaughter of US President Joe Biden, competed online with former Barack Obama advisor David Axelrod. “I look forward to proving the political pundits wrong… again,” she wrote, after he said the polls should prompt President Biden to decide whether it is “wise” for him to seek re-election
Still sore? Naomi Biden said she was looking forward to proving experts wrong, reposting her 2020 post suggesting Axelrod was a ‘jerk with a microphone’
“I look forward to proving the political pundits wrong… again,” the daughter of Hunter Biden and his ex-wife Kathleen Buhle wrote on Monday.
She then retweeted a post on X post dunking on Axelrod’s comments about Biden failing to capture delegates in New Hampshire in 2020.
“Disingenuous – you predicted his demise from the start and doubted his resilience,” she said.
“There’s a difference between having a right to an opinion and enjoying a platform to discredit AND between journalism and being a jerk with a microphone.”
November 12
But Axelrod doubled down on his criticism of the president days later, telling CNN that one of his biggest problems — his age — is not something that can be solved.
“I think there’s one issue hanging over him,” Axelrod said in 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 said all the other problems Biden faces can be resolved.
November 13
Biden broke his silence on Monday and called Axelrod “a pr***” for his disparaging comments, Politico revealed – prompting Obama’s strategist to hit back by telling him to “either leave or get to work” on his campaign for 2024.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday shows Biden’s approval has fallen to a new low of 39%
Only 25 percent say Biden has the staying power to be president
Voters said Trump would be a more effective world leader
Their feud comes amid dire polling showing Biden with Trump four points ahead of him a year after the 2024 election. An important CNN a poll showed Trump at 49 percent and Biden at 45 percent.
In a series of hammer blows to Biden, the survey showed Trump prevailing among black men, independent voters and people under 35.
The poll also found that only 25 percent of registered voters believe Biden, who turns 81 this month, has the necessary “stamina and sharpness” to lead, while 53 percent think Trump does.
Only 36 percent thought Biden would be an effective world leader, while 48 percent thought Trump would be.
In addition, a separate New York Times/Siena survey published last week found Biden trailing Trump in five of the six swing states key to achieving a 2024 victory.
Responding to the CNN poll, Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s former White House communications director, admitted: “This is not a good poll for Joe Biden. The best thing in this poll for Joe Biden is the date: 2023, not 2024.”
Additionally, the poll showed a gap in enthusiasm between voters of the two parties: 71 percent of Republicans are enthusiastic about voting, while only 61 percent of Democrats are.
The latest setback for Biden came Sunday after a poll from The New York Times and Siena College showed him losing in the key swing states of Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada and Pennsylvania.
On Monday, David Axelrod, Barack Obama’s former chief strategist, suggested that Biden should consider resigning.
He said, “What he (Biden) has to decide is whether that (running) is wise; Whether it is in HIS interest or in that of the country?’
The latest CNN poll shows that 51 percent of voters nationwide said there is no chance they will vote for Biden.
Only 4 percent of those who did not support him said they might.