Former Obama adviser Axelrod says Biden should consider dropping out of 2024

WASHINGTON – David Axelrod, who served as a senior adviser to former President Barack Obama suggested that President Joe Biden may want to reconsider his reelection bid, as he potentially faces another race for the White House against former President Donald Trump.

Axelrod's comments came as The New York Times and Siena College published new polls on Sunday that found Trump led Biden in five of six key battleground states ahead of the 2024 presidential election.

Trump led Biden by 10 points in Nevada, six points in Georgia, five points in Arizona, five points in Michigan and four points in Pennsylvania. Biden took the lead over Trump in Wisconsin by just two points.

Axelrod in a post on X, formerly Twitter, cited the polls and wrote that “It's very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict & Biden's team says his resolve to run is firm.”

"Only @JoeBiden can make this decision," Axelrod added. "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?"

"Yes, there also is risk associated with changing course now, as there is little time left for a primary campaign--and campaigns are how we test candidates. (Re@RonDeSantis.) But there is a lot of leadership talent in the Democratic Party, poised to emerge," Axelrod added, referencing Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' 2024 presidential bid.

Though Biden has previously won the six battleground states during the 2020 election, the survey showed that Biden’s popularity among groups of voters who supported his victory, such as voters under 30, appears to be declining.

Black voters also registered 22% support in the six states for Trump. And survey participants, by a 59% to 37% margin, said they trusted Trump over Biden on the economy. In other polls, voters have cited age as one of Biden’s liabilities.

“The greatest concern is that his biggest liability is the one thing he can't change,” Axelrod wrote Sunday. “Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction.”

Axelrod also knocked Trump in a post calling the GOP front-runner a list of insults, including "dangerous" and "unhinged."

However, Trump, who is 77, has argued in interviews that Biden, 80, isn't too old to serve as commander-in-chief.

“Age is interesting because some people are very sharp, and some people do lose it, but you lose it at 40 and 50, also,” Trump said on SiriusXM’s “The Megyn Kelly Show” earlier this year.

Ronald Klain, who previously served as Biden's White House chief of staff, fired back at Axelrod. He shared on X, "Man who called Biden 'Mr Magoo' in Aug 2019 is still at it," a reference to the cartoon character.

Contributing: Marina Pitofsky, USA TODAY.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Former Obama adviser says Biden should consider dropping out of 2024