Former President Barack Obama “fears” former President Donald Trump can defeat President Joe Biden in 2024 and believes he is “way too Zen,” “too complacent — and unimaginative,” according to recent reports by Axios and the Washington Post.
The warning runs contrary to how many Biden allies perceive the likely rematch against Trump. Aides outlined to Axios four “articles of faith” of outside factors they claim will benefit Biden during the 2024 cycle:
- A calmer foreign policy chaos in 2024
- An improving economy
- $1 billion in future negative ads against Trump
- The abortion issue favors Democrats
One reason Obama might worry about Biden losing the election is due to the president’s well documented temper and aides who are afraid to get “their heads bitten off” when confronting the president, sources told Axios.
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Obama grew “animated” last month during a lunch with Biden while discussing his reelection campaign against Trump, three people familiar with the conversations told the Post:
During the lunch, Obama noted the success of his reelection campaign structure in 2012, when some of his top presidential aides, including David Axelrod and Jim Messina, left the White House to take charge of the reelection operation in Chicago. That is a sharp contrast from Biden’s approach of leaving his closest aides at the White House even though they are involved in all the key decisions made by the campaign.
Obama also recommended that Biden seek counsel from Obama’s own former campaign aides, which Biden officials say they have done, the people said.
Obama has been even more explicit with people close to Biden, suggesting the campaign needs to move aggressively as Trump appears poised to quickly wrap up the Republican nomination. His concerns about the campaign structure were not tied to a specific moment, but rather his belief that campaigns need to be agile in competitive races, the people said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss confidential conversations.
Polling does not present a positive picture for the president:
- FiveThirtyEight: Biden holds the worst net approval rating in history at this time in office.
- WSJ: Only 23 percent of voters said Biden’s policies helped them.
- CNN: Majority Say ‘No Chance’ They Would Vote for Joe Biden in 2024.
- Yahoo/YouGov: Majority of Voters Say Joe Biden Committed Crime with Hunter Biden.
Follow Wendell Husebø on “X” @WendellHusebø. He is the author of Politics of Slave Morality.
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