David Axelrod, chief strategist for former President Obama’s two winning presidential campaigns, told the New York Times in an interview that President Biden's age would be a liability if he runs for a second term in 2024.
Why it matters: Nearing the midterm, some Democrats are growing wary of Biden seeking a second term, especially given that former President Trump may seek to return to the White House, the Times reports.
- Biden has said that he intends to run in 2024 with Vice President Kamala Harris as his running mate if he remains in good health and if his predecessor runs again.
What they're saying: “The presidency is a monstrously taxing job and the stark reality is the president would be closer to 90 than 80 at the end of a second term, and that would be a major issue,” Axelrod said.
- “Biden doesn’t get the credit he deserves for steering the country through the worst of the pandemic, passing historic legislation, pulling the NATO alliance together against Russian aggression and restoring decency and decorum to the White House,” Axelrod added.
- “And part of the reason he doesn’t is performative. He looks his age and isn’t as agile in front of a camera as he once was, and this has fed a narrative about competence that isn’t rooted in reality.”
The big picture: Biden's approval rating is extremely low going into the midterm elections, as the country faces inflationary pressures, as well as rising food, energy and housing prices.
- It's common for the president’s party to lose seats in Congress in the midterms, though Biden's legislative agenda and judicial nominations could be completely stymied if Democrats lose control of the House or the Senate or both, Axios' Sarah Mucha reports.
