Democratic political strategist David Axelrod has hit back at Joe Biden for calling him a “p***” – telling him to “either get out or get going” with his 2024 campaign.
It marks simmering tensions between the political heavyweights reaching boiling point after Axelrod – Obama’s chief strategist – reignited their feud by highlighting Biden’s increasing age and declining position in the polls.
Politico said Monday that the 80-year-old president responded by calling him “an idiot.” When asked about the dissident in an interview with CNN, Axelrod said Biden was “not the first” to insult him.
“Look, I understand he was irritated because I raised concerns that many, many Democrats have,” the former White House official said.
“And again my feeling is: get out or go.” There’s so much at stake – it’s not 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 “p***” after he suggested that Biden should think twice about pursuing re-election
Among the things that upset the president, according to Axelrod, was the suggestion that Biden might run for a second term because it was in “HIS best interest” and not the country’s interest
The poll is the latest to show Biden is in trouble
Axelrod said the key theme for 2024 is considering “what American democracy will look like in the coming years.”
“He (Biden) knows this, but he needs to take a sober look at the entire landscape,” the Manhattan-born analyst said.
Their latest feud began on November 5, when Axelrod questioned whether Biden should run for a second term in the White House, sharing polls that showed him trailing former President Donald Trump in five of six key swing states .
The results sparked new discussion in Democratic circles about whether Biden is the best Democratic candidate to run against Trump.
November 5th
Axelrod pondered on
He said that “the risk of miscalculation here is too dramatic to ignore” and characterized Trump as a “dangerous, bumbling demagogue whose brazen disregard for the rules, norms, laws and institutions or 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 6th
Axelrod’s tweets prompted Biden’s granddaughter Naomi Biden to issue her own response, calling Axelrod an “idiot with a microphone.”
Naomi Biden (l.), the granddaughter of US President Joe Biden, competed online against 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 would be “wise” for him to seek re-election
Still sore? Naomi Biden said she was looking forward to proving the experts wrong, reposting her 2020 post by suggesting that Axelrod was an “idiot with a microphone.”
“I look forward to proving the political pundits wrong again,” the daughter of Hunter Biden and his former wife Kathleen Buhle wrote on Monday.
She then retweeted a post on
“Disingenuous – you predicted his downfall and doubted his resilience from the start,” she said.
“There is a difference between having the right to an opinion and enjoying a platform where you can disparage, AND between journalism and being the idiot with the microphone.”
November 12th
But Axelrod doubled down on his criticism of the president days later, telling CNN that one of his greatest burdens – his age – could not be resolved.
“I think there’s an issue that’s bothering him,” Axelrod said in an interview with former Republican Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan.
“I think with Donald Trump on the other end, he could still win this election. But the age question is difficult.”
Although Trump is only three years younger, polls show that Biden is more likely to be viewed as “too old” for re-election. Axelrod said all other problems facing Biden are solvable.
November 13th
Biden broke his silence on Monday, calling Axelrod “an idiot” over his disparaging comments, Politico revealed – prompting Obama’s strategist to hit back by telling him to “either get out or get going” with his 2024 campaign.
New Portal/Ipsos poll released on Tuesday shows Biden’s approval rating has fallen to a new low of 39%
Only 25 percent say Biden has the stamina to become president
Voters said Trump would be a more effective world leader
Their feud comes against a backdrop of poor polls for Biden, which show Trump four points ahead of him a year before the 2024 election. A major CNN poll showed Trump at 49 percent and Biden at 45 percent.
In a series of hammer blows against Biden, the poll showed Trump winning among black men, independent voters and those under 35.
The poll also found that only 25 percent of registered voters believe Biden, who turns 81 this month, has the “stamina and acuity” needed to be in charge, while 53 percent believe Trump does .
Only 36 percent thought Biden would be an effective world leader, while 48 percent thought Trump would be one.
Additionally, a separate New York Times/Siena poll released last week showed Biden trailing Trump in five of the six swing states crucial to a victory in 2024.
In response 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 about this poll for Joe Biden is the date – 2023, not 2024.”
Additionally, the poll found that there is a divide in enthusiasm among voters from both parties: 71 percent of Republicans are enthusiastic about the election, compared to just 61 percent of Democrats.
The latest setback for Biden came after a New York Times and Siena College poll on Sunday 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 leaving.
He said: “What he (Biden) has to decide is whether (running) is wise; whether it is in HIS best interest or that of the country?’
In the latest CNN poll, 51 percent of voters nationwide said there was no chance at all of voting for Biden.
Only 4 percent of those who do not support him said there is a chance that this could be the case.