Barack Obama ‘thinks Joe Biden could LOSE the White House next year’, with president’s polls continuing to tank as worries over his age and cost of living crisis persist
- A person familiar with Barack Obama’s thinking told The Wall Street Journal about the former president’s concerns
- Obama worries that the 2024 election could be won by Republicans, and is troubled by the prospect of a second Donald Trump term
- Biden, 81, insists that he is the best person to take on Trump and is hoping that improving economic data, abortion and infrastructure will help him win
DAILY MAIL
Barack Obama is concerned about Joe Biden‘s prospects for next year’s election and ‘feels that Democrats very well could lose’, according to a report.
With Donald Trump edging ahead in polls, and concerns about the president’s age, immigration, Israel policy and economic plan denting confidence, a person described by The Wall Street Journal as being familiar with Obama’s thinking said the former president was troubled.
Trump leads by 2 points in the RealClearPolitics polling average.
Obama ‘knows this is going to be a close race’, the source said, and ‘feels that Democrats very well could lose’ the 2024 election.
Obama worries that ‘the alternative is pretty dangerous for democracy,’ the person said.
A new Reuters/Ipsos poll this week – like many other polls over the past month – found Donald Trump in the lead.
Even more worrisome for Democrats, the poll shows independent candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. takes votes away from Biden and 60 percent of voters say they want another option when it comes to the 2024 presidential race.
But the looming election rematch next year between Biden and Trump would be closely fought with both candidates saddled with profound vulnerabilities that could cost them the White House.
Biden, 81, continues to be plagued by voters’ doubts about the strength of the economy, as well as concerns about the security of the U.S.-Mexico border and worries about crime.
Trump, 77, faces his own worries, including four criminal trials on a bevy of charges related to his attempts to overturn the 2020 presidential election and his handling of classified documents.
A conviction prior to the November 5, 2024, election could cost him significant support, the Reuters/Ipsos poll found.
Trump is the frontrunner for the Republican nomination by a wide margin, the poll showed.
Continued investigations into the business dealings of the president’s son, Hunter Biden, and the impeachment inquiry announced this week will also cause headaches into next year.
Immigration will also continue to pose a significant problem, with cities including New York and Chicago struggling to cope with the influx.
‘I want the president to do better,’ said Henry Cuellar, a Democrat from a Texas border constituency, adding that he wants better poll numbers for the president ‘because that affects everybody.’
Biden faces a potentially game-changing vote in the coming days on aid to Israel and Ukraine. Republicans want to secure changes to border policy and immigration in return, and the deal hangs in the balance.
Securing the funding will provide a lifeline to Ukraine, but may see Biden make damaging concessions on immigration and return to Trump-era policies, which would harm him in the eyes of some voters.
Andrew Bates, a White House spokesman, said the president was hard at work on issues of national security, such as supporting Israel in its fight against Hamas and strengthening border security.
He said Biden was working, ‘even if House Republicans find it so hard to keep up that they’re already on vacation.’
