Democrats are speaking up, and they want him gone. Prominent Democratic voices like David Axelrod are publicly questioning the wisdom of Biden running again given his old age and declining popularity.
Liberal columnists have also argued the party would be better served by a fresh face rather than the 80-year-old Biden at the top of the ticket.
The underwhelming response among Democrats to Biden’s reelection announcement indicates a lack of support.
Despite Biden’s determination to run again, many Democrats seem to want new leadership. The president appears reluctant to acknowledge the reality that much of his party wants him to step aside rather than risk losing to Republicans.
The mood in the Democratic party is beginning to shift. Biden’s poll numbers have been declining since 2022. As inflation rises and gas prices soar, Biden’s approval ratings are dropping fast.
More concerning to some Democrats was the president’s age. Biden would be nearly 82 by the next election.
President Biden’s age has become a major issue among voters and democrats alike, with an August AP-NORC poll finding that about three-quarters of adults think he is too old to effectively serve as president. Even among Democrats, a concerning 69% said Biden was too old. When asked for words associated with Biden, 26% cited words related to his age like “old” and “elderly”, while 15% mentioned words tied to being slow and confused.
Biden’s likely 2024 opponent Donald Trump is just three years younger at 77. But only half said Trump was too old, with far fewer associating him with age or mental decline.
At public events recently, Biden has attempted to tackle the age issue head on by making jokes about his advanced years. At a union speech in Illinois, when someone seemed to have tripped over Biden quipped “I want the press to know that wasn’t me”.
Biden also said at the event, “I’ve been involved with the UAW longer than you were alive, man.” He seems to hope that leaning into his age and using humor may help neutralize voter concerns.
But voters are not the only ones worried, voices from within the Democratic party are also worried, many are starting to realize that Joe Biden may not be the best candidate to go forward with.
One of the first to publicly raise doubts was David Axelrod, a highly respected Democratic strategist. As a senior advisor in Barack Obama’s White House, Axelrod knew Biden well from their time working together. But after a New York Times poll showed Biden losing hypothetical matchups to Donald Trump in key swing states, Axelrod took to Twitter with a warning.
“Only Joe Biden can make this decision,” Axelrod wrote. “What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?” He acknowledged Biden’s accomplishments but said “the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore.”
Speaking to CNN, Axelrod reiterated his worries over Biden’s age. “The one number in the polling that was concerning…had to do with age, and that is one thing you can’t reverse no matter how effective Joe Biden is behind the scenes,” he noted. With Biden’s approval ratings sinking, Axelrod believed the president’s performance and presence would further damage his chances.
Liberal columnists and commentators also began openly questioning whether Biden should seek a second term. They pointed to his high unpopularity and concerns over his ability to campaign vigorously at his age.
Other prominent liberals soon joined the call for Biden to reconsider. Charles Blow, a Liberal writer for The New York Times, said it was “ridiculous” for Democrats to ignore the lack of support Biden faced from key voting blocs like young minorities.
Blow also stated that he did not find Axelrod’s comments questioning whether Biden should run for re-election in 2024 to be controversial.
Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who is challenging President Biden in the Democratic presidential primary, said that “Bidenomics is not working. It is actually the opposite. It represents inflation, high prices,” he said. Phillips stated during an interview with CNN’s Kasie Hunt in New Hampshire that he respects Biden as a “good man” who “saved this country” in 2020 by likely being the only Democrat who could have beaten Donald Trump. However, Phillips believes that in 2024, Biden may be among the only Democrats who could lose to Trump, which is why Phillips has decided to challenge him in the Democratic primary.
Political strategist Steve Schmidt announced he was joining Democratic congressman Dean Phillips’ potential presidential campaign. “I believe President Biden may be the only Democrat who could run for president who will lose to Donald Trump,” Schmidt bluntly stated.
The Washington Post also featured several columns airing doubts about Biden. Perry Bacon Jr. contended Biden’s 2024 campaign wasn’t “worth the added difficulty that comes from his deep unpopularity.” “The Biden presidency came about for one single reason: his perceived electoral strength. He’s not looking electorally strong now — and many other Democratic politicians are better positioned for a successful 2024 presidential campaign,” Bacon wrote.
The president’s low polling made him a weaker candidate than younger options like Pete Buttigieg or Michigan’s Gretchen Whitmer, Bacon argued. David Ignatius too said Biden and Kamala Harris “shouldn’t run for re-election,” out of fears it could undo Biden’s big achievement of defeating Trump in the previous elections.
As the president approaches an announcement on his reelection plans, the critiques are growing louder. New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg said plainly that “nevertheless, I hope he doesn’t run again, because he’s too old.” The Wall Street Journal editorial board took it a step further, declaring Biden was “too old” to seek a second term.
“We are ruled by a gerontocracy. Biden is 79. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is 82. The House majority leader, Steny Hoyer, is 83. The Senate majority leader, Chuck Schumer, is 71. Often, it’s not clear if they grasp how broken this country is,” Goldberg wrote in July.
In April, The Wall Street Journal editorial board argued in an op-ed that Biden is too old to run for re-election in 2024, the editors wrote “asking the country to elect a man who is 80 years old and whose second term would end when he is 86 is a risky act that borders on selfish.” The op-ed said that the White House “goes to great lengths” to hide Biden’s purportedly declining health, stating “his decline is clear to anyone who isn’t willfully blind” and pointing to his lack of press conferences, scripted appearances, and public stumbles. The editors argued the “risk of an accelerated decline” for Biden is considerable and expressed doubt he could serve a full second term. They also believe that Kamala Harris would make a poor commander-in-chief and would be nearly unelectable if Biden were forced to drop out.
Former U.S. House Democrat Tim Ryan has also stated that President Biden should drop out of the 2024 U.S. presidential race. In an interview with CNN Ryan said “I don’t think President Biden should run.” He suggested Biden dropping out would allow him to fully focus on issues like Ukraine, the Middle East, inequality and inflation rather than the election. Ryan added that Biden not running would be “the right thing to do”.
With so many voices pleading with him to back out of the reelection, Joe Biden’s stubborn refusal to step aside is concerning and self-centered. At almost 81 years old, it is frankly reckless of him to continue entertaining a 2024 bid amidst clear signs Democrats want fresh leadership.
David Axelrod and other strategists know Democrats’ chances hinge on new energy at the top of the ticket, not this faded relic of the past. But Biden refuses to budge, determined to chase personal glory despite plunging approval and the pleading of his party to give others a chance to lead.
Biden seems oblivious to the mounting criticism from all sides about his advanced age and declining competence. His frequent public gaffes and scripted appearances only fuel growing doubts about his fitness to govern, let alone campaign. Yet Biden ignores the reality of his unpopularity and dimming electoral prospects.
The right decision is obvious to everyone else. If Biden truly cares about America’s future, it’s time to retire and let the next generation of leadership take the helm.
