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Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work with <\/em>a donation<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n President Joe Biden received a startling anti-endorsement from a former Obama administration official on Sunday following the release of polling data that suggests he is currently losing to former President Donald Trump in five out of six key battleground state matchups.<\/p>\n\n\n\n David Axelrod, who served as chief strategist for both of former President Barack Obama\u2019s successful presidential campaigns (in which Biden was Obama\u2019s vice presidential running mate) and as an adviser for Obama in the White House, penned several posts on X examining data from a New York Times<\/em>\/Siena College poll that was published over the weekend.<\/p>\n\n\n\n His conclusion from the numbers: Biden should drop out of the 2024 presidential race.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While Axelrod recognized that it\u2019s \u201cvery late to change horses\u201d<\/a> just one year out from Election Day 2024 and that \u201ca lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict,\u201d he suggested that the poll\u2019s findings made it clear that Biden\u2019s age will harm his chances in what will likely be a very close race with Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Although Biden has defied conventional wisdom before, Axelrod said<\/a>, the latest polling data should send \u201ctremors of doubt thru the party \u2014 not \u2018bed-wetting,\u2019 but legitimate concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n NEWS<\/a>\u00a0 |\u00a0 POLITICS & ELECTIONS<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Trump wins five of six swing states in the poll, but loses all six if he\u2019s found guilty in any of his indictments.By Chris Walker<\/a> , TRUTHOUT<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n November 6, 2023<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe greatest concern is that his biggest liability is the one thing he can\u2019t change. Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction,\u201d Axelrod said<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While there \u201calso is risk associated with changing course\u201d for Democrats, there is \u201ca lot of leadership talent in the Democratic Party, poised to emerge\u201d as viable presidential candidates, the former Obama administration official said<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Axelrod expressed admiration for the current president, saying<\/a>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n [Biden] is justly proud of his accomplishments. 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.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n \u201cOnly @JoeBiden can make this decision,\u201d Axelrod added<\/a>. \u201cIf he continues to run, he will be the nominee of the Democratic Party. What he needs to decide is whether that is wise; whether it\u2019s in HIS best interest or the country\u2019s?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The New York Times<\/em>\/Siena College poll<\/a> demonstrated that Biden was losing to Trump in five states \u2014 Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Pennsylvania and Michigan \u2014 while just barely beating Trump in Wisconsin. Biden narrowly won all six states in his successful presidential run against Trump in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The poll did have some positive points for Biden \u2014 he fared extremely well against Trump on the issue of abortion, for example, which is set to be a top-tier issue in the 2024 race, as Trump\u2019s Supreme Court appointments were instrumental in the unpopular dismantling of abortion rights in the U.S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Notably, the poll also showed that, if Trump is convicted in any of the criminal indictment trials he\u2019s scheduled to face next year, Biden would win all six states that were surveyed by exceptional margins<\/a>. That portion of the poll also suggests that Trump\u2019s incendiary and bigoted statements could harm him once the 2024 presidential election season begins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s clear, however, that a majority of Americans want neither Biden nor Trump to be president. In fact, numbers from an Economist<\/em>\/YouGov survey published last week<\/a> show that 61 percent of Americans don\u2019t want Biden to run again, while 58 percent said the same about Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Between the two candidates, Biden fares just slightly better nationally in that poll, attaining 39 percent support versus Trump\u2019s 38 percent \u2014 well within the margin of error, making the race a statistical tie at the moment. Eight percent of respondents indicated that they\u2019d vote for someone else if those were the two major parties\u2019 nominees, while 4 percent said they weren\u2019t sure who they would vote for and 11 percent said they wouldn\u2019t vote at all, given Biden and Trump as the main options.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For over two decades, Truthout<\/em>\u2019s journalists have worked tirelessly to give our readers the news they need to understand and take action in an increasingly complex world. At a time when we should be reaching even more people, big tech has suppressed independent news in their algorithms and drastically reduced our traffic. Less traffic this year has meant a sharp decline in donations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fact that you\u2019re reading this message gives us hope for Truthout<\/em>\u2019s future and the future of democracy. <\/strong>As we cover the news of today and look to the near and distant future we need your help to keep our journalists writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Please do what you can today to help us keep working for the coming months and beyond.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n about:blankThis article is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)<\/a>, and you are free to share and republish under the terms of the license.<\/p>\n\n\n\n CHRIS WALKER<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Chris Walker is a news writer at Truthout<\/em>, and is based out of Madison, Wisconsin. Focusing on both national and local topics since the early 2000s, he has produced thousands of articles analyzing the issues of the day and their impact on the American people. He can be found on Twitter: @thatchriswalker<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cThe stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore,\u201d Axelrod said, urging Biden to reconsider his 2024 run. By Chris Walker , TRUTHOUT PublishedNovember 6, 2023 (Truthout.org) Did you know that Truthout is a nonprofit and independently funded by readers like you? If you value what we do, please support our work… Continue reading RELATED STORY<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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THE STAKES HAVE NEVER BEEN HIGHER (AND OUR NEED FOR YOUR SUPPORT HAS NEVER BEEN GREATER).<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
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