Based on President Biden’s remarks during Thursday night’s press conference, it appears the president’s aides have not been upfront with him about the serious concerns voters have about his age and fitness to serve, former Obama strategist David Axelrod said.
“If what he said at the end of his presser is true, it sounds like Biden's team has not been very candid with him about what the data is showing: the age issue is a huge and potentially insurmountable concern and his odds of victory are very, very slim,” he wrote on X.
If what he said at the end of his presser is true, it sounds like Biden's team has not been very candid with him about what the data is showing: the age issue is a huge and potentially insurmountable concern and his odds of victory are very, very slim.
— David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) July 12, 2024
At one point during the press conference when the president was asked whether he’d step aside if polling showed Vice President Kamala Harris performing better than him against former President Donald Trump, Biden said "no" unless his advisers told him he had no chance of winning.
"No one's saying that, no poll says that," he whispered.
Q: If your team came back and showed you data that Kamala Harris would fare better against Donald Trump, would you reconsider your decision to stay in the race?
— ALX 🇺🇸 (@alx) July 12, 2024
BIDEN: No, unless they came back and said there’s no way you can win… pic.twitter.com/RAXjyqYSh2
Biden also said he believes he's best positioned to defeat Trump since any other candidate would need to start from "scratch."
“I believe I’m the best qualified to govern, and I think I’m the best qualified to win,” he said.
"I think I'm the best qualified to win," President Biden says, adding that he won't withdraw from the race unless polls show "there's no way" he could beat Donald Trump.
— CBS News (@CBSNews) July 12, 2024
"But there are other people that could beat Trump too. But it's awful hard to start from scratch." pic.twitter.com/vY1clGKkJB