President Barack Obama’s former senior adviser and chief strategist David Axelrod rejected the possibility that the Democratic Party may nominate somebody other than President Joe Biden during a Friday night appearance on “Real Time” with Bill Maher.
High-level elected Democrats and liberal staffers have in recent weeks expressed concerns over Biden’s ability to win the 2024 presidential election, citing issues like the president’s age and problems caused by independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Axelrod told Maher that the idea of swapping Biden for a candidate with better electoral prospects is a “fantasy” and that Democrats should “give up” on the idea of there being a replacement candidate.
“The debate is June 27, we never had one before the convention, if Joe [Biden] really shits the bed, would that be a good opportunity to make the switch then?” Maher asked Axelrod.
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“Listen, that is a fantasy that I hear a lot,” Axelrod responded. “Right now, he is the nominee of the Democratic Party.”
“This is not 1968 where the convention is gonna decide, we changed the rules, voters nominate a candidate, they’ve nominated Joe Biden and he’s not going anywhere,” Axelrod continued. “There’s no delegation of elders … who are going to go to the White House and tell him that he can’t run.”
Biden has consistently been trailing Former President Donald Trump in the polls. Trump is leading Biden in key swing states that will likely decide the election and voters saying they would never vote for Biden now outnumbering those who would never back Trump.
Even Virginia, which the GOP hasn’t won in decades, is now in play. Biden and Trump are both polling at 42% in the state, according to a recent Roanoke College poll.
Trump’s recent conviction, however, could give Biden a boost as some independents and Republicans now report they are less likely to back the former president.
Polls have also found that voters are deeply concerned about the 81-year-old president’s age and his fitness for office.
A March Wall Street Journal poll, for instance, found that just 36% of registered voters believed Biden is “mentally up for the job,” with 73% saying that he is “too old to run.” Other polls by CBS News/YouGov, New York Times/Siena College, Forbes/HarrisX and Fox News have yielded similar results..
Polling has consistently shown that a sizable share of voters are dissatisfied with both Trump and Biden. About half of voters would replace both candidates with others if given the chance, according to an April survey conducted by the Pew Research Center. About a quarter of Americans have unfavorable views of both Trump and Biden, according to a March Pew survey.
“You can take the easy way out and say I’m not going to vote for either of them, but one of those guys is gonna be president and people ought to focus on that and give up on the fantasy that there’s gonna be another candidate,” Axelrod told Maher.
