David Axelrod Questions if It Is ‘Wise’ for Joe Biden to Run in 2024: ‘HIS Best Interest or the Country’s?’

Political Strategist David Axelrod speaks to reporters as he arrives for the John F. Kenne
AP Photo/Josh Reynolds
Hannah Knudsen

President Joe Biden needs to decide if it is “wise” for him to run as the Democrat nominee in the 2024 presidential race — which will likely set him up for a 2020 rematch — CNN political analyst David Axelrod said, asking whether doing so is in Biden’s best interest or the country’s.

“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. He’s defied CW before but this will send tremors of doubt thru the party–not ‘bed-wetting,’ but legitimate concern,” Axelrod said over the weekend in reaction to the latest New York Times/Siena poll, showing former President Donald Trump leading Biden in five out of six key swing states.

US President Donald Trump dances as he leaves a rally at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Arizona on October 19, 2020. - US President Donald Trump went after top government scientist Anthony Fauci in a call with campaign staffers on October 19, 2020, suggesting the hugely respected and popular doctor was an "idiot." (Photo by MANDEL NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

US President Donald Trump dances as he leaves a rally at Tucson International Airport in Tucson, Arizona on October 19, 2020 (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images).

“The greatest concern is that his biggest liability is the one thing he can’t change. Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction,” Axelrod continued, contending that Biden is correct to be “proud” of his accomplishments, although he did not list the so-called achievements.

US President Joe Biden trips as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on March 19, 2021. - President Biden travels to Atlanta, Georgia, to tour the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and to meet with Georgia Asian American leaders, following the Atlanta Spa shootings. (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) / The erroneous mention[s] appearing in the metadata of this photo by Eric BARADAT has been modified in AFP systems in the following manner: [March 19, 2021] instead of [March 18, 2021]. Please immediately remove the erroneous mention[s] from all your online services and delete it (them) from your servers. If you have been authorized by AFP to distribute it (them) to third parties, please ensure that the same actions are carried out by them. Failure to promptly comply with these instructions will entail liability on your part for any continued or post notification usage. Therefore we thank you very much for all your attention and prompt action. We are sorry for the inconvenience this notification may cause and remain at your disposal for any further information you may require. (Photo by ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images)

US President Joe Biden trips as he boards Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews in Maryland on March 19, 2021 (ERIC BARADAT/AFP via Getty Images).

US President Joe Biden falls off his bicycle as he approaches well-wishers following a bike ride at Gordon’s Pond State Park in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, on June 18, 2022. – Biden took a tumble as he was riding his bicycle Saturday morning, but was unhurt. (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images)

Further, Axelrod determined that Trump is “a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, norms, laws and institutions or democracy should be disqualifying.”

“But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore,” he warned, concluding that only Biden can make the final decision.

“If he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party,” he continued. “What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

Axelrod’s weekend warning stems from the Times/Siena poll, showing Trump leading Biden in a head-to-head matchup in Nevada (Trump +11), Arizona (Trump +5), Pennsylvania (Trump +4), Georgia (Trump +6), and Michigan (Trump +5).

The survey prompted responses from others who are sounding the alarm, calling for Biden to drop out.

“It’s time,” Bill Kristol said. “President Biden has served our country well. I’m confident he’ll do so for the next year. But it’s time for an act of personal sacrifice and public spirit. It’s time to pass the torch to the next generation. It’s time for Biden to announce he won’t run in 2024.”

Biden, however, has shown no signs of backing out, formally announcing his reelection bid in April.

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“We — you and I — together we’re turning things around and we’re doing it in a big way,” Biden, who would be 86 at the end of his second term, said. “It’s time to finish the job. Finish the job.”

Recent surveys are triggering more concerns among Democrats, as they show Trump leading Biden nationally as well, including among independent voters, specifically:

Axelrod’s warning came one day ahead of Trump taking the stand in the New York County Supreme Court in his civil fraud case.

“Getting ready to head to the Downtown Lower Manhattan Courthouse to testify in one of the many cases that were instigated and brought by my POLITICAL OPPONENT, Crooked Joe Biden, through agencies and surrogates, for purposes of ELECTION INTERFERENCE,” Trump wrote in part, adding, “This is the first time this method of cheating in an election has been so blatantly used in the USA as a POLITICAL WEAPON!”

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