It’s only going to get worse.
During a recent episode of the “Hacks on Tap” podcast featuring David Axelrod, former senior adviser to President Obama, alongside political consultant Mike Murphy and former Obama White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, Axelrod expressed serious concerns regarding a Wall Street Journal poll that showcased record-low approval figures for President Biden. In Axelrod’s assessment, the outlook appears “very, very dark” for Biden’s potential re-election bid.
The discussed poll outlined a hypothetical scenario in which former President Donald Trump leads Biden by 47% to 43% with two candidates on the ballot. In an alternate hypothetical scenario with five independent candidates listed, Trump maintains a lead at 37% to 31%.
Biden’s job approval reached a new nadir at 37%, and a significant 61% of respondents viewed the president’s overall image negatively, as indicated by the Wall Street Journal poll. Axelrod voiced his concerns on the podcast, noting, “Job approval down, ratings generally down, most of the comparatives with Trump not good.” He specifically worried about voters rationalizing their choices.
Axelrod also criticized a recent photo opportunity that featured Biden alongside the ‘Bidenomics’ sign, describing it as “unbelievable.” The poll revealed that respondents favored Trump on critical issues such as the economy, border security, and inflation. Biden only outperformed Trump on the issue of abortion.
Conclusively, Axelrod’s remarks on the podcast underscore the significant challenges Biden might encounter in a potential re-election bid, given the prevailing public sentiment evident in the poll results.
