Axelrod: Wall Street Journal Poll Reveals Troubling Outlook for Biden Campaign

A recent Wall Street Journal poll showing President Joe Biden’s approval ratings hitting a new low marked a “very, very dark” point for his reelection campaign, according to David Axelrod, a senior advisor for former President Barack Obama.

“Job approval down, ratings generally down, most of the comparatives with [former President Donald] Trump … not good,” Axelrod commented on “Hacks on Tap,” a podcast by former White House press secretary Robert Gibbs, and political media consultant Mike Murphy as co-host, reports The Hill.

According to the poll, released Saturday, 61% of respondents say they disapprove of Biden’s job performance, compared to 37% who say they approve.

Further, the poll showed that in a potential contest between Biden and Trump, 47% of those responding said they’d choose Trump, with 43% picking Biden.

Axelrod, though, said he was most alarmed by how voters perceive Biden’s policies compared to Trump’s.

About half, at 49%, said Trump’s policies helped them, while 23% said Biden’s policies were helpful. Further, 53% said Biden’s policies hurt them personally, with 37% saying Trump’s policies hurt them.

“From a Biden standpoint, these are the kinds of things you get when people are starting to rationalize their votes,” said Axelrod, adding that it’s “unbelievable” to him that the White House’s response is to stage a “photo op with the Bidenomics sign next to him.”

Axelrod also referred to a recent CNN poll showing Trump at 10 points over Biden in Michigan, with Gibbs commenting that the Biden campaign needs to start making a more “concerted” effort.

“It is time to start drawing this choice because I think a lot of us think through these polls, we see whether it’s Michigan or The Wall Street Journal and you think to yourself, ‘Okay, people just haven’t made the turn yet to making the choice,’ ” Gibbs said. “If that’s your view that they haven’t made the choice, great. It’s time to accelerate the clock and get people to make that choice, force them to.”

Axelrod further argued that Biden’s campaign is “way behind” and has been hurt by dividing its attention between the election and the White House.

Last month, Axelrod made comments appearing to suggest that Biden drop out of the race, but later clarified he’s not concerned about poor polling numbers a year from the 2024 election.