Axelrod claimed the president had a ’50-50 shot,’ but added, maybe a bit worse. Former Obama adviser David Axelrod reacted angrily when President Biden reportedly called him a “pr—” and claimed that the president has a “real problem” if he believes he can “cheat nature.” In a Sunday essay, New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd backed Axelrod, blasting Biden for participating in “petty feuds.” “I don’t mind if they think I’m a jerk—that’s fine,” Axelrod said to Dowd. “I hope they don’t think the polls are wrong because they’re not.” Dowd reported that Axelrod, who has previously praised Biden, told Dowd that Biden believes he can “cheat nature,” drawing a comparison to Hillary Clinton.
“I think he has a 50-50 shot here, but no better than that, maybe a little worse,” Axelrod said. “He believes he can defy nature here, which is extremely dangerous.” They have a severe problem if they expect Trump to win it for them. I recall Hillary doing the same thing.”
In early November, Politico columnist Jonathan Martin reported that Biden had dubbed Axelrod a “pr—” in private.
“The president’s flash of anger indicates that he may be in denial, surrounded by enablers who are sugarcoating a grim political forecast,” Dowd said in his article.
Dowd stated that the president should not have a “chip on his shoulder,” and that Axelrod received numerous messages from others who agreed with his evaluation of the new polling.
“However, he should not give in to the Irish chip on his shoulder.” He has to gather his party’s brightest thinkers and listen to what they have to say, not engage in petty feuds,” Dowd said.
Following a poll that showed Biden trailing Donald Trump in several critical battleground areas, Axelrod advised the president to examine whether it would be “wise” to withdraw from the campaign.
During a CNN appearance, Axelrod responded to Martin’s reporting.
“Listen, I understand he was annoyed because I highlighted concerns shared by many Democrats. And, once again, my instinct is to either get out or start going. But the status quo, their approach to the campaign, this ‘What, me, worry?’ attitude toward the campaign was not going to get him to where he needs to go,” he stated.
While it was “uncomfortable for the president,” Axelrod added that many others told him they were “glad someone said it” about Biden.
“I’ll live with the president’s unhappy with me,” he said.
