Former chief Obama strategist David Axelrod suggests Biden drop out of 2024 race

Democratic analyst David Axelrod, the chief strategist for Barack Obama's election campaigns, is suggesting that President Joe Biden drop out of the 2024 presidential race after a poll showed former President Donald Trump, his most likely opponent, leading him in five vital swing states. 

Citing a New York Times/Siena College poll Sunday, Axelrod, who is also a former senior Obama White House advisor, said that it is "very late to change horses" with the first Democratic presidential primary less than 90 days away, but Biden's age may pose a significant challenge in the general election.

"The greatest concern is that his biggest liability is the one thing he can't change.  Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction," Axelrod wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

The poll showed not only that Trump is ahead of Biden in Nevada, Georgia, Arizona, Michigan and Pennsylvania, but that 62% of voters say Biden does not have the mental acuity to be president. 

Axelrod also said that Trump should be disqualified from running for his "brazen disdain for the rules," but that for Biden, "stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore."

He added that the choice is ultimately up to Biden. "If 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's in HIS best interest or the country's?"

Currently, Biden faces several challengers, including author Marianne Williamson and Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips, but none of them appear likely to beat him in the primary.

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