Former Obama adviser David Axelrod called the recently revealed details of President Biden&#8217;s cognitive decline &#8220;stunning&#8221; in a Wednesday interview, and called Biden&#8217;s decision to seek re-election &#8220;irresponsible&#8221; on the part of both the former president and his family.
Speaking on NPR&#8217;s Morning Edition, Axelrod laid into Biden’s inner circle and top Democrats for adapting the former president’s schedule to accommodate his &#8220;declining condition,&#8221; while simultaneously arguing to voters that he was fit to serve another term.
&#8220;What is clear is that they did everything they could to adapt his public appearances and adapt his schedule to his declining condition,&#8221; Axelrod said, adding that &#8220;it was an irresponsible decision on his part, and I have to say, on his family&#8217;s part.&#8221;
The former Obama strategist&#8217;s <a href="https://www.npr.org/2025/05/14/nx-s1-5397210/biden-trump-election-original-sin-book">comments</a> were in response to revelations from excerpts of &#8220;Original Sin: President Biden&#8217;s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,&#8221; a forthcoming book by CNN&#8217;s Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson.
The senior CNN political commentator pointed to one of the most “troubling” incidents detailed in the excerpt, in which Biden reportedly failed to recognize actor George Clooney, a donor and friend of two decades, at a California fundraiser.
“The details behind it were troubling. The thing that I was struck by was the reporting on his schedule before this event, and the rigors of what he was up to, and people dismissing his kind of being vacant, not being able to identify George Clooney, a friend of two decades, when he saw him, dismissed it as a function of jet lag and fatigue.”
Axelrod later points to Biden’s inner circle dismissing incidents like these as a symptom of a &#8220;deeper issue&#8221; within Biden&#8217;s circle that enabled his continued candidacy despite clear signs of decline.
“What struck me was that when you are president of the United States. Fatigue and strain is your daily existence. The presidency is relentless. And this is why I said in 2022 that it was going to be hard to make the case that he should be president for four more years.”
Tapper and Thompson&#8217;s book <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-political-scene/how-joe-biden-handed-the-presidency-to-donald-trump?fbclid=IwY2xjawKR0X9leHRuA2FlbQIxMQBicmlkETFOYXJLc0lmZEVrbjVHZ2UxAR5goe6iYyOhoScB-4DQYuQYLkTkOruNaz_AWLHo8Qd0BMU2lJ8BLLGoiWcoqw_aem_OAsqiqfGfha4zoH5cuj5kw">paints</a> a picture of a widespread effort within Biden&#8217;s inner circle to conceal his deteriorating condition from public view, with insiders pursuing &#8220;aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment.&#8221;
Axelrod avoided labeling this effort from Biden’s team as “lying,” as “they were motivated by a belief in him, by a desire to see him continue,” instead putting most of the blame squarely on Biden and his family for putting staff in that position in the first place.
Biden’s 2024 bid was “an irresponsible decision on his part, and I have to say, on his family&#8217;s part,” Axelrod said.
When asked about Biden&#8217;s recent media appearances, including his appearance on &#8220;The View,&#8221; where viewers noticed him trailing off mid-sentence, Axelrod suggested the former president was continuing to receive poor counsel from the same advisers who encouraged his reelection bid.
&#8220;All he&#8217;s doing is making the story larger,&#8221; Axelrod said. &#8220;If he&#8217;s concerned about President Trump and some of the things that President Trump is doing, then he should want the Democratic Party to be in a position to move on and do well in the midterm elections.&#8221;
Biden&#8217;s office continues to defend his legacy. A spokesperson said that the former president &#8220;was a very effective president&#8221; and challenged critics to provide evidence of instances where &#8220;national security was threatened or where he was unable to do his job.&#8221;
“Original Sin” is set to release in late May.

The 2017 Concordia Annual Summit – Day 1

Axelrod: Biden’s Reelection Bid Was ‘Irresponsible,’ Details Of Cognitive Decline ‘Stunning’

2024 Election

Biden Admin

David Axelrod

Jill Biden

Joe Biden

Democratic political strategist David Axelrod admitted that his party reacted poorly to President Donald Trump’s speech on Tuesday.
Axelrod appeared on a CNN panel alongside other commentators on Tuesday night after Trump’s address. In a back-and-forth with CNN commentator Scott Jennings, Axelrod <a href="https://newsbusters.org/blogs/nb/nicholas-fondacaro/2025/03/05/jennings-gets-axelrod-admit-dems-looked-bad-during-trumps" target="_blank" rel="noopener">said</a> Democratic lawmakers in the joint session should have been more respectful to the president and more positive toward the speech.
“I will say, I thought Democrats, I thought that was – I think there were times when they should have risen. I think what Al Green did was despicable. I liked Elissa Slotkin’s speech. I think that&#8217;s where Democrats should go,” Axelrod said.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
David Axelrod: &quot;I think there were times when [Democrats] should&#39;ve risen. I think what Al Green did was despicable.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/TFKj81Kjfx">pic.twitter.com/TFKj81Kjfx</a>
&mdash; Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) <a href="https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1897146003675078915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 5, 2025</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI) delivered the Democrats&#8217; response to Trump’s address. Jennings said that Slotkin’s speech, no matter how well-received it may be, will not matter because of the Democrats&#8217; antics.
“I’m sure she is a very nice person. None of this will be remembered because this was a horrific night for the opposition party regardless of how well she just spoke,” Jennings said.
“It started out with Al Green getting thrown off the House floor because he couldn&#8217;t keep his emotions under control. Then they had the ridiculous paddles, which now social media is roasting,” he continued.
“And maybe most terribly, the Democrats who couldn&#8217;t find it in their heart to stand for objectively good things – including the 95-year-old mother of Marc Fogel and Marc, who got rescued from a Russian prison – and they couldn&#8217;t even stand up for that,” he said.
Rep. Al Green (D-TX) was removed from the chamber for refusing to stop shouting at the dias and the president after House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) tried to restore decorum. After an outcry from Democrats minutes into Trump’s speech, Green refused to return to his seat.
Johnson eventually <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/deported-dem-rep-al-green-booted-from-trump-address-to-congress" target="_blank" rel="noopener">ordered</a> the sergeant-at-arms to escort Green from the chamber.
“Finding that members continue to engage in willful and concerted disruption of proper decorum, the chair now directs the sergeant-at-arms to restore order. Remove this gentleman from the chamber,” Johnson said.

Dem Strategist Axelrod Floored By Party’s Reaction To Trump’s Speech

Donald Trump

Media

Politics

Scott Jennings

I’m not a professional election strategist. Nor am I a scholar of political campaigns and the psychological tactics behind their success. Despite both these holes in my resume, I’m willing to go out on a massive limb and make a bold statement about the election result we’ve just witnessed: if identity politics isn’t dead, the American people just dealt it a truly devastating blow. Whether you’re a conservative seeking the end of race politics, or a progressive trying to get outside your echo chamber to understand the extent of the electoral shellacking your agenda’s just experienced, it’s time to look at Kamala Harris’ failed campaign and answer the question: is her loss despite her DEI credentials, or because of them?
Let’s start with the basic observations. Kamala Harris was a DEI pick — this term, despite the many accusations of racism attached to it, was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/the-case-against-kamala-harris-isnt-just-about-dei" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than deserved</a>. Picked for her gender, and also at the <a href="https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2020-election/clyburn-calls-democrats-shut-primary-down-if-biden-has-big-n1155131" target="_blank" rel="noopener">behest</a> of advisors urging Joe Biden to pick a black running mate, Harris had the opportunity to rise above both this less-than-ideal recruitment method and also her complete lack of experience running in a general presidential election. She didn’t have to run a DEI campaign. Running a pro-abortion, economically ignorant campaign paired with an <a href="https://www.nationalreview.com/2024/10/kamala-harris-is-an-idiot/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">inability</a> to articulate basic policy tenets and an unwillingness to handle any audience that wasn’t already in the bag for her would have been enough. But a second look at some of Harris’ closing gambits reveals that the shiny toy of race-baiting was simply too bright to say no to.
Rewind to October, when Harris called in the big guns to deal with her struggles reaching black male voters. And by big guns, I mean the biggest gun — Barack Obama <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/10/10/g-s1-27633/barack-obama-kamala-harris-black-men-pennsylvania" target="_blank" rel="noopener">attended</a> Harris’ Pittsburgh to issue some tough talk to the Democratic Party’s errant voter base. “My understanding, based on reports I&#8217;m getting, is that we have not yet seen the same kinds of energy and turnout in all quarters… as we saw when I was running,” spat Obama, with the subtlety of a father about to lecture his children about doing chores with a cheerful attitude.
And parental might just be the best term for Obama’s pathos — the former president spoke bitterly about how reluctance to support the foundering Harris campaign “seem[ed] to be more pronounced with the brothers. Part of it makes me think that, well, you just aren&#8217;t feeling the idea of having a woman as president.” Obama continued to beat the dead horse of presumed misogyny, with a side strategy of racial solidarity thrown in for good measure. “Women in our lives have been getting our backs this entire time,” he told the Pittsburgh audience. “When we get in trouble and the system isn’t working for us, they’re the ones out there marching and protesting.” The identitarian beatings from Obama will continue until morale improves.
The message from the Harris campaign through the course of this election cycle has been simple: get over your concerns about the content of this candidate’s character and start judging by the color of her skin already. When criticisms of Harris arose in the past, Biden’s chief of staff was quick to <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2023/04/27/ron-klain-kamala-harris-sexism-criticism-00094166" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dismiss</a> them as the products of racism and sexism. During the campaign, Harris’ allies like Maryland’s Wes Moore were <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/kamala-harris-racial-and-cultural-background-took-stage-throughout-the-democratic-convention" target="_blank" rel="noopener">quick</a> to tie her electoral fate to America’s racial reckoning. Now, Democratic acolytes like David Axelrod are <a href="https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/4976151-david-axelrod-donald-trump-kamala-harris-2024-election/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">calling</a> for a renewed look at how racialism influenced Trump’s victory — and conveniently making no mention of how racial obsession landed the Democratic Party with such a profoundly lackluster candidate. Harris, like countless racialist candidates before her, employed the clever dichotomy of race politics. If she won, it was a victory over racism, and more race obsession must follow to root out the racism that remains. If she lost, not only was it indicative of racism from white voters, but apathy from the kind of minority voters that one black Alabama pastor <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mc3RXnRrYiQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lambasted</a> as “ignorant stupid negros” on the sign outside his church, in a stunning display of self-aware political persuasion.
The alternative is that maybe, just maybe, the Democratic Party’s racial premises are increasingly being rejected wholesale. Kamala Harris’ campaign failed for the same reason DEI is failing in the modern corporate and academic sphere — it’s becoming profoundly unclear what the value add of mere racial diversity is, taken on its own, to business, academia, or politics. The elevation of pure identity politics, pursued without regard to character or qualification, into the classroom and boardroom has led to widespread mission drift and counterproductive institutional policies. The electoral arena, unsurprisingly, is the same.
Kamala Harris’ campaign held out the weaknesses of identity politics to American voters and threatened 4 years of lecturing if her weaknesses were not rewarded with success. It’s a testament to the character of the American people, of both genders and all races, that they didn’t take that threat seriously.
* * *
Isaac Willour is an award-winning journalist focusing on race, culture, and American conservatism, as well as a corporate relations analyst at Bowyer Research. His work has been featured at outlets including USA Today, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times Opinion, C-SPAN and the Daily Wire. He is a member of the Young Voices contributor program and can be found on X <a href="https://twitter.com/IsaacWillour" target="_blank" rel="noopener">@IsaacWillour</a>.
The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.

Presidential Nominee Kamala Harris Campaigns With Liz Cheney In Swing States Across The Nation

Kamala Harris Offered A Four-Year DEI Seminar. America Said No.

Barack Obama

Democratic Party

Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DEI)

Kamala Harris

Opinion

As former President Donald Trump marched to victory over Vice President Kamala Harris on Tuesday night, leftist members of the media and Democrats cited racism and misogyny.
Trump was declared the victor first by Fox News, but it took hours for other news organizations to admit the fact.
Former Barack Obama advisor David Axelrod cited sexism as part of the reason for Harris’ defeat.
“I think there are plenty of ways to critique her as a candidate; I think they’ll be time to do that,&#8221; Axelrod said. &#8220;But that doesn’t obviate the fact that there were some people who probably voted against her, we’ve never had a woman president, that there’s sexism in this country.&#8221;
“I do have to wonder what role race and gender played,” ABC’s Linsey Davis said.
“I mean, we’re talking about, one thing that stands out, a less diverse electorate, when you think about even just at-large with the world, of the 193 member nations only 13 have a woman who leads them. Black women are often the last at the table when it comes to pay disparity in this country, getting 67 cents on the dollar when it comes to white men.&#8221;
Davis went on: &#8220;And so I don’t know that we have the answers tonight, but I think that is kind of the elephant in the room that we’re not talking about, because we’re not just talking about having a woman, we’re talking about having a woman of color, and I think that that’s something that we cannot underestimate.”
Asked why Trump won, Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) declared, “Racism is the basic part. Now I know that there will be some support from some minorities, but basically, we’re outnumbered. We’re outnumbered. And it’s not about whether or not, y’know, people are selecting absolutely based on public policy or whether or not there’s an elected official who’s willing to do what’s in the best interest of all the people.&#8221;
&#8220;People don’t like to talk about racism,&#8221; Waters said. &#8220;But the fact of the matter is the majority of his votes are going to come from whites, and that’s who he has been talking to, all campaign, about taking the country back, taking it back from too many minorities who are doing too well.”

LINSEY DAVIS

Media, Dems Blame Americans’ Racism, Sexism For Harris Loss

Maxine Waters

Racism

Sexism

CNN&#8217;s David Axelrod, the chief strategist behind former President Barack Obama&#8217;s presidential campaigns, was critical of Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; town hall performance on Wednesday night, saying that she struggled to relate to people.
Axelrod made the remarks on the network following the 75-minute event with host Anderson Cooper.
&#8220;The things that would concern me is when she doesn&#8217;t want to answer a question, her habit is to kind of go to &#8216;word salad city,&#8217; and she did that on a couple of answers,&#8221; he said. &#8220;One was on Israel. Anderson asked a direct question, would you be stronger on Israel than Trump? And there was a seven-minute answer, but none of it related to the question he was asking.&#8221;
&#8220;On certain questions like that, on immigration, I thought she missed an opportunity because she would acknowledge no concerns about any of the administration&#8217;s policies, and that&#8217;s a mistake,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;Sometimes you have to concede things, and she didn&#8217;t concede much.&#8221;
<a href="https://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1729077615157000&amp;usg=AOvVaw17Kprl74oE9DYOLREdiBPU">MATT WALSH’S ‘AM I RACIST?’ COMING TO DAILYWIRE+ OCT. 28</a>
He then noted that she struggled to relate on a human level to audience members who were asking her questions.
&#8220;You do want to relate to the people in front of you,&#8221; he said. &#8220;She didn&#8217;t do a lot of that. She didn&#8217;t ask them questions. She didn&#8217;t address them particularly. So, she was giving set pieces too much.&#8221;
The event produced a number of moments that were negative for Harris, including her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-asked-to-name-one-major-legislative-goal-she-has-she-couldnt-do-it">inability</a> to articulate a legislative agenda and her <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-we-did-the-right-thing-by-letting-in-millions-of-illegal-aliens">admission</a> that the administration would do nothing different with respect to the border crisis.
She also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/kamala-trumps-border-wall-a-good-idea?topStoryPosition=2">admitted</a> that former President Donald Trump&#8217;s border wall was &#8220;a good idea,&#8221; despite having ridiculed the idea dozens of times in the past.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560">
Top Democrat strategist David Axelrod on Kamala Harris&#8217; town hall performance:
“When she doesn&#8217;t want to answer a question, her habit is to kind of go to word salad city”
“She would acknowledge no concerns about any of the administration&#8217;s policies and that&#8217;s a mistake”
“You… <a href="https://t.co/kT2uQrpPWp">pic.twitter.com/kT2uQrpPWp</a>
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) <a href="https://twitter.com/RealSaavedra/status/1849305374299406710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 24, 2024</a></blockquote>

Kamala Harris Participates In CNN Town Hall In Philadelphia

Top Obama Strategist: Kamala Can’t Relate To People, Goes To ‘Word Salad City’

Elections

Town Hall

Democrat strategist David Axelrod said during an interview over the weekend that Democrats needs to be sober minded about Vice President Kamala Harris&#8217; chances of beating former President Donald Trump in this fall&#8217;s presidential election.
Axelrod made the remarks Saturday on CNN&#8217;s &#8220;Newsroom Live&#8221; while talking about how the dynamics of the race have changed ever since President Joe Biden has dropped out of the race.
&#8220;I think there’s a justifiable sense of concern in [Trump&#8217;s] camp that this thing could get away from him,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It may be their race to lose, but it’s a race, so it could be lost, which is something they didn’t feel when they left that convention in Milwaukee.&#8221;
CNN&#8217;s Jessica Dean said that Harris had &#8220;a lot of momentum&#8221; at the moment based on current polling trends.
&#8220;100 percent,&#8221; Axelrod said. &#8220;There&#8217;s a lot of irrational exuberance on the Democratic side of the aisle right now because there was despair for some period of time about what November was going to look like.&#8221;
<a href="http://www.amiracist.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener" data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.amiracist.com/&amp;source=gmail&amp;ust=1722896810585000&amp;usg=AOvVaw1bp5Dbk3uCC7C3EVDakzNV">WATCH THE TRAILER FOR &#8216;AM I RACIST?&#8217; — A MATT WALSH COMEDY ON DEI</a>
&#8220;Now people feel like there&#8217;s a chance. But it is absolutely Trump&#8217;s race to lose right now,&#8221; he continued. &#8220;He is ahead and he is ahead in most of the battleground states. They are close, they can be won by either candidate. But there&#8217;s a lot to be determined in the next 90-whatever days — 96 or what it is left.&#8221;
&#8220;So yes, I think it&#8217;s a wide-open race, but Trump has the advantage right now and nobody should — nobody should be, nobody should be — everybody should be sober about that on the Democratic side,&#8221; he concluded.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
WATCH: David Axelrod on the state of the presidential race:
&#8220;Trump has the advantage right now and everybody should be sober about that on the Democratic side.&#8221; <a href="https://t.co/dvt9HfRQKM">pic.twitter.com/dvt9HfRQKM</a>
— Steve Guest (@SteveGuest) <a href="https://twitter.com/SteveGuest/status/1820251255651881306?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 5, 2024</a></blockquote>

Vice President Kamala Harris Speaks At Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority’s Boule In Houston

Democrat Strategist Tells Party To Get ‘Sober’ Over Harris: Excitement Over Her Is ‘Irrational Exuberance’

Even David Axelrod, top adviser to former President Barack Obama, has admitted that forcibly removing former President Donald Trump from primary ballots — which some states have already attempted to do, pending court rulings — could be a risky move for Democrats.
Axelrod told CNN on Friday that he had &#8220;very, very strong reservations&#8221; about states like <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/maine-official-who-booted-trump-from-ballot-visited-biden-white-house-blasted-the-electoral-college" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Maine</a> and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/catastrophic-effects-colorado-gop-asks-supreme-court-to-reverse-trumps-removal-from-ballot" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Colorado</a> — where officials have cited the 14th Amendment&#8217;s &#8220;insurrection&#8221; clause and declared Trump &#8220;ineligible&#8221; to run for President in 2024 because of what happened on January 6th, 2021.
&#8220;I have very, very strong reservations about all of this. I do think it would rip the country apart if he were actually prevented from running because tens of millions of people want to vote for him,&#8221; Axelrod said.
As The New York Post <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/12/30/news/removing-trump-from-the-primary-ballot-would-rip-the-country-apart-david-axelrod/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a>, Axelrod argued that Trump had essentially set up his campaign to function as part of his legal defense — and Democrats who wanted him removed from the 2024 primary ballot were playing right into his hands.
&#8220;A lot of the motivation for [Trump’s] candidacy was as a legal defense strategy,&#8221; Axelrod explained, adding, &#8220;He wanted to set up a construct … which says that they’re coming after him because he’s running for president, and they’re trying to prevent him from being president.&#8221;
The problem, Axelrod added, was that every attack Democrats had brought against the former president so far appeared to have backfired: &#8220;We’ve run this experiment, he’s only gained since he started getting indicted.&#8221;
Brianne Pfannenstiel, chief political reporter at the Des Moines Register, backed up Axelrod&#8217;s assessment to former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki on her Sunday morning MSNBC show.
&#8220;If he&#8217;s being attacked, Republicans in Iowa tend to gravitate even more closely to him&#8230; His support is only getting stronger here in Iowa,&#8221; she said.
WATCH:
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
&quot;If he&#39;s being attacked, Republicans in Iowa tend to gravitate even more closely to him&#8230; His support is only getting stronger here in Iowa.&quot; <a href="https://twitter.com/brianneDMR?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@brianneDMR</a> on Iowa polling that shows Trump&#39;s rhetoric makes GOP caucusgoers more likely to support him <a href="https://t.co/Hxb60GaQbD">pic.twitter.com/Hxb60GaQbD</a>
&mdash; Inside with Jen Psaki (@InsideWithPsaki) <a href="https://twitter.com/InsideWithPsaki/status/1741509605971185815?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 31, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Ultimately, Axelrod argued that the best way to defeat Trump was not in removing him from the ballot but in beating him at the ballot box. &#8220;I think if you’re going to beat Donald Trump, you’re going to probably have to do it at the polls.&#8221;

Former Obama Advisor Admits It: Keeping Trump Off The Ballot Is A Risky Move For Democrats

2024 Primaries

Colorado

Maine

<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/david-axelrod" target="_blank" rel="noopener">David Axelrod</a>, a former adviser to President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/barack-obama" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Barack Obama</a>, openly pondered on Sunday whether President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Joe Biden</a> should run for a second term in 2024.
A series of <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1721187586268389858" target="_blank" rel="noopener">posts to X</a> by Axelrod offered an analysis of the political situation in response to The New York Times publishing poll results showing former President <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Donald Trump</a> topping Biden in <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/05/us/politics/biden-trump-2024-poll.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">five out of six</a> key battleground states.
&#8220;It&#8217;s very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict &amp; Biden&#8217;s team says his resolve to run is firm. He&#8217;s defied [conventional wisdom] before but this will send tremors of doubt thru the party&#8211;not &#8216;bed-wetting,&#8217; but legitimate concern,&#8221; Axelrod wrote.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
It&#39;s very late to change horses; a lot will happen in the next year that no one can predict &amp; Biden&#39;s team says his resolve to run is firm. He&#39;s defied CW before but this will send tremors of doubt thru the party&#8211;not &quot;bed-wetting,&quot; but legitimate concern. <a href="https://t.co/g6zeWF0T87">https://t.co/g6zeWF0T87</a>
&mdash; David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1721187586268389858?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 5, 2023</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
&#8220;The greatest concern is that his biggest liability is the one thing he can&#8217;t change,&#8221; Axelrod added. &#8220;Among all the unpredictables there is one thing that is sure: the age arrow only points in one direction.&#8221;
<a class="c-link c-link--focus-visible" href="https://onelink.to/dwapp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-stringify-link="https://onelink.to/dwapp" data-sk="tooltip_parent" aria-describedby="sk-tooltip-14681">CLICK HERE TO GET THE DAILY WIRE APP</a>
Some of Biden&#8217;s <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-election/joe-biden-presidential-debates-donald-trump-supporters-drop-out-b719368.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">supporters and others</a> have <a href="https://thehill.com/opinion/white-house/4249496-hey-democrats-who-want-biden-to-drop-out-shut-up/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">called on him</a> to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/james-carville-and-bill-maher-agree-biden-should-not-be-the-2024-nominee" target="_blank" rel="noopener">consider</a> dropping out amid <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/two-thirds-of-americans-say-biden-does-not-deserve-another-term-as-president" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low approval numbers</a>, <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/latest-2024-presidential-polling-trump-rises-above-biden-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener">unfavorable polling</a> in a hypothetical 2020 rematch against Trump, and <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/another-poll-shows-grim-numbers-for-biden-on-age-question" target="_blank" rel="noopener">trepidation about his fitness</a> to continue serving as commander-in-chief. Already the oldest person to be president at 80, Biden would be 86 at the end of a second term. His tendency to lose his train of thought while speaking and moments caught on camera where he has tripped or fallen over have spurred concerns about his ability to lead effectively.
Axelrod served as a top strategist for Obama&#8217;s two winning presidential campaigns and as an adviser in the Obama White House in which Biden served as vice president. Despite their shared history, Axelrod has consistently voiced worry about <a href="https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/politics/david-axelrod-biden-age-political-viability" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Biden&#8217;s age becoming a political liability</a>. Axelrod did so again on Sunday, even as he touted the incumbent&#8217;s work as president.
&#8220;The [president] is justly proud of his accomplishments. Trump is a dangerous, unhinged demagogue whose brazen disdain for the rules, norms, laws and institutions [of] democracy should be disqualifying. But the stakes of miscalculation here are too dramatic to ignore,&#8221; Axelrod said in his X thread.
&#8220;Only [Biden] can make this decision,&#8221; he added. &#8220;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&#8217;s in HIS best interest or the country&#8217;s?&#8221;

Former Obama Adviser Doubts Wisdom Of Biden Staying In 2024 Race

2024

aging

Executive

Tuesday night&#8217;s debate between two Senate hopefuls in Pennsylvania turned out to be a disaster for one of them.
The performance of Democrat John Fetterman, who suffered a stroke over the summer and has clearly not fully recovered, was so bad even liberals were forced to admit just how truly awful it was.
The train wreck began from the first words the Lurch-like Fetterman uttered: &#8220;Hi. Goodnight, everybody.&#8221;
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What the &#8230;!?
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Fetterman opens the debate: 
&quot;Hi. Good night everybody.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/mg0X3Iwf5D">pic.twitter.com/mg0X3Iwf5D</a>
&mdash; Greg Price (@greg_price11) <a href="https://twitter.com/greg_price11/status/1585060068932063233?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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At one point, Fetterman was asked about his position on fracking, with a debate moderator noting he said in a 2018 interview that he completely opposed the practice.
&#8220;I do support fracking &#8212; I don&#8217;t, I don&#8217;t &#8212; I support fracking, and I stand &#8212; and I do support fracking,&#8221; he stammered.
At another point, Fetterman was asked: &#8220;Has the Biden administration overspent?&#8221;
Fetterman: “Here’s what I think we have to fight about inflation here right now.”
Huh?
Throughout the debate, Fetterman proved he is simply not cognitively able to serve in the Senate. His comprehension was so bad after his stroke that he had to have a giant teleprompter erected in order to read what his opponent, Dr. Mehmet Oz, was saying.
Of course, recovery from a stroke is difficult and everyone hopes Fetterman fully recovers. But it&#8217;s an odd time for him to seek a six-year gig in the world&#8217;s most exclusive debate club, where comprehension in fast-paced oratories is key.
Before the debate, Fetterman&#8217;s campaign said there would be &#8220;awkward pauses&#8221; and &#8220;delays and errors&#8221; as the candidate would be reading closed captioning because of his &#8220;auditory processing issue.&#8221;
Afterward, they declared victory and blamed Fetterman&#8217;s dismal performance on the closed captioning &#8212; which they had demanded.
“We are thrilled with John’s performance. He did remarkably well tonight — especially when you consider that he’s still recovering from a stroke and was working off of delayed captions filled with errors. John won countless exchanges, counter-punched aggressively, and pushed back on Oz’s cruelty and attacks,” said Joe Calvello, Fetterman’s communications director.
Gary Weitman, communications chief for Nexstar, which ran the closed captioning, fired back, saying, &#8220;It is unfortunate that Mr. Fetterman is now criticizing the closed captioning process employed by Nexstar during tonight’s debate.”
&#8220;Both candidates agreed to the technical set-up for the closed captioning process weeks ago, which was implemented at the request of the Fetterman campaign. Both candidates were offered the opportunity for two full rehearsals with the same equipment used in tonight’s debate; Mr. Fetterman chose to do only one,&#8221; he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/fetterman-campaign-blames-captioning-system-for-disastrous-debate-tv-company-sets-record-straight">said</a>.
At another point, a debate moderator asked: &#8220;You say that you will hold big corporations accountable for what you call price gouging. How will you do that?&#8221;
Fetterman: &#8220;Exactly. Dr. Oz has never seen an oil company he wouldn&#8217;t swipe right on.&#8221;
And at yet another point, while discussing the minimum wage, Fetterman said: &#8220;How can a man, you know, with with 10 gigantic mansions has &#8212; am willing to talk about willing wage for anybody? Imagine a signal mom trying with two children trying to raise with them.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
FETTERMAN: &quot;How can a man, you know, with with 10 gigantic mansion has am willing to talk about willing wage for anybody? Imagine a signal mom trying with two children trying to raise with them.&quot; <a href="https://t.co/hbqePfo8Of">pic.twitter.com/hbqePfo8Of</a>
&mdash; Townhall.com (@townhallcom) <a href="https://twitter.com/townhallcom/status/1585062627473911808?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2022</a></blockquote>
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After the debate, CNN host Alisyn Camerota said she was unsettled by the spectacle. &#8220;I&#8217;ve interviewed him many times as lieutenant governor,&#8217; she said. &#8220;And he sounds &#8211; he&#8217;s sounded different before the stroke. In the interviews, he was much more, sort of, clear spoken than what I&#8217;m hearing.&#8221;
Some Democrats agree, with David Axelrod, a Democrat strategist who served as a senior adviser to Obama, <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1585077889136939008">writing</a> on Twitter: &#8220;&#8216;Fetterman needed to show he&#8217;s sufficiently recovered, and this debate surely did not help.&#8221;
Another huge liberal, former CNN host Chris Cuomo, said on his NewsNation show he was troubled by the performance.
&#8220;John Fetterman struggled,&#8221; Cuomo said. &#8220;He clearly is dealing with health issues that affect his ability to process and his ability to speak. Clearly, fitness for office is going to be on the table.&#8221;
&#8220;That may not be fair, to some, for me to say &#8211; but if the voters aren&#8217;t talking about it, I&#8217;ll be shocked,&#8221; Cuomo said.
Oh, they&#8217;re talking about it, Chris.
The views expressed in this piece are the author’s own and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent for a national newspaper. He was also the a.m. editor of the Drudge Report for four years. Send tips to josephcurl@dailywire.com and follow him on Twitter @josephcurl.

Gubernatorial Candidate Josh Shapiro Campaigns With John Fetterman In Philadelphia

‘Hi. Goodnight, Everybody’: Even Liberals Admit Fetterman’s Debate Performance Was Abysmal

Even Liberals Admit John Fetterman's Debate Performance Against Dr. Mehmet Oz Was Abysmal

Dr. Oz

fetterman

Pennsylvania

Stories hyping the <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/january-6">January 6</a> commission hearings, set to begin Thursday on prime-time television, as a &#8220;political cudgel&#8221; could backfire on <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/democrats">House Democrats</a>, a top party adviser warned.
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/adam-schiff">Rep. Adam Schiff</a> (D-CA) is promising bombshell new revelations, the panel has hired a former ABC television producer to quarterback the made-for-TV event, and committee member Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) is lobbying members to use the findings to change the way presidents are elected. But David Axelrod, once a top adviser to former President Obama, said Democrats should stick to presenting the facts and let the public decide.
&#8220;If I were a member of the 1/6 committee, stories like these, casting the hearings as a political cudgel, would make me very unhappy,&#8221; Axelrod wrote. &#8220;Conversely, Rs, who hope to dismiss damning findings as partisan, will seize on them. Let facts speak for themselves.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
If I were a member of the 1/6 committee, stories like these, casting the hearings as a political cudgel, would make me very unhappy. Conversely, Rs, who hope to dismiss damning findings as partisan, will seize on them. Let facts speak for themselves. <a href="https://t.co/akQ827sAPD">https://t.co/akQ827sAPD</a>
&mdash; David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1534126089110540288?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 7, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Over the last year, the committee of seven Democrats and two Republicans &#8212; both estranged from the party &#8212; has interviewed 1,000 witnesses and assembled 140,000 documents on the Capitol riots that came two weeks before President Joe Biden&#8217;s inauguration. The panel intends to present its findings in as many as eight prime-time hearings to air live on multiple networks, starting Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. Raskin promised that the hearings would “blow the roof off the House.”
It is not known who will be called to testify during the hearings, as the committee has not released the names of any witnesses.
Democrats are seeking to pin the riots on former President Donald Trump, who contested Biden&#8217;s election and encouraged a crowd attending his speech earlier in the day to &#8220;peacefully&#8221; walk over to the Capitol. When riots erupted, Trump was urged by members of both parties to call for his supporters to stop, but he hesitated before doing so.
Schiff, the California Democrat who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/adam-schiff-biggest-problem-with-mueller-report-was-it-wasnt-brought-to-life-through-public-hearings">repeatedly claimed during the Mueller investigation</a> to have seen powerful evidence that former President Trump colluded with Russia to steal the 2016 election only to see Trump cleared of the charge, said the public should brace for shocking revelations this week.
“Our goal is to present the narrative of what happened in this country, how close we came to losing our democracy, what led to the violence,” Schiff said. “Americans I think know a great deal already — they have seen a number of bombshells already [and] there’s a great deal they haven’t seen. But perhaps the most important is the public has not seen it woven together, how one thing led to another.”
Raskin, who <a href="https://www.axios.com/2022/06/05/january-6-committee-electoral-college-reforms">Axios reported</a> wants to use the hearings as a basis for getting rid of the Electoral College, said the hearings will help viewers understand who was really behind the riots.
“The select committee has found evidence about a lot more than incitement here, and we’re gonna be laying out the evidence about all of the actors who were pivotal to what took place on Jan. 6,” the Maryland lawmaker told the Washington Post.
Republicans claim the slick production is aimed at whipping up Democrat support in the November midterms and say the panel is partisan. Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger are the only Republicans on the committee. Kinzinger was drawn out of his district in Illinois, and Cheney faces a tough primary in her home state of Wyoming. Both have found themselves at odds with the GOP leadership since joining the panel.
“The sham January 6th committee is grasping at straws, just like the two failed impeachments,” Indiana Republican Rep. Jim Banks told <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/democrats-plan-to-reveal-jan-6-committee-findings-with-pomp-and-circumstance">The Daily Wire Monday</a>. “They’re trying to turn their investigation into a taxpayer-funded TV special, instead of getting to the bottom of January 6th because they don’t want to uncover inconvenient truths about Speaker Pelosi’s role in the security failure at the Capitol.”

Hype, Politicization Surrounding Jan. 6 Panel Hearings Could Backfire, Warns Ex-Obama Adviser

Adam Schiff

January 6

U.S. House of Representatives

President Joe Biden gave a statement Sunday following the news that former Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT) had passed away at the age of 88. Biden, as Vice President, presided over Hatch in 2013 as he swore in for his final term in the Senate.
Hatch, whose tenure as the longest-serving Republican senator in history (1977-2019) overlapped with Biden&#8217;s time serving in the deliberative body, <a href="https://dailywire.com/news/orrin-hatch-longest-serving-republican-in-history-dies-at-88/">died on Saturday</a>. A statement from the Hatch Foundation read, in part, &#8220;Upon his retirement, Senator Hatch held the distinction of having passed more legislation into law than any other Senator alive. Through his relentless work ethic, Hatch earned a reputation as one of the most effective and bipartisan lawmakers of all time. In total, he sponsored or cosponsored more than 750 bills that became law.&#8221;
&#8220;Biden on the passing of his friend, late GOP UT Sen Orrin Hatch. Biden says Hatch “never humored a bully, or shied from a challenge … saw that energetic, sharp-elbowed Orrin in the many battles we had over tax policy, the right of workers to join a union, and many others,&#8221; Fox News Congressional reporter Chad Pergram tweeted.
&#8220;Biden: Senator Hatch was also a man of deep faith; a gentle soul who wrote songs and poems. This was the Orrin who looked out for the people who often didn’t have a voice in our laws and our country &#8230; He was, quite simply, an American original,&#8221; Pergram&#8217;s second tweet added.
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B) Biden: Senator Hatch was also a man of deep faith; a gentle soul who wrote songs and poems..This was the Orrin who looked out for the people who often didn’t have a voice in our laws and our country..He was, quite simply, an American original.
&mdash; Chad Pergram (@ChadPergram) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChadPergram/status/1518287874784993280?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;
Hatch, who was often praised for his willingness to work across the aisle, lamented the growing divide between the parties during his retirement announcement in 2018.
&#8220;My heart is heavy because it aches for the times when we actually lived up to our reputation as the world’s greatest deliberative body. It longs for the days in which Democrats and Republicans would meet on middle ground rather than retreat to partisan trenches,&#8221; he said.
Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) noted his willingness to work with her despite their political — and other — differences of opinion in a tribute posted Saturday evening, just after the news broke.
&#8220;Senator Hatch was kind to me and we worked together well. There were a lot of differences including party, height, age…you name it…but somehow we always looked for common ground. Prayers for his family today,&#8221; she tweeted.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Senator Hatch was kind to me and we worked together well. There were a lot of differences including party, height, age…you name it…but somehow we always looked for common ground. Prayers for his family today. 🙏
Former Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch dies at 88 <a href="https://t.co/WkXEGlwk8V">https://t.co/WkXEGlwk8V</a>
&mdash; Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) <a href="https://twitter.com/amyklobuchar/status/1518042559020507137?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
David Axelrod, who served in former President Barack Obama&#8217;s White House, also remembered Hatch for his kind words — offered even to those who often disagreed with him.
&#8220;At a low moment during my WH years, when a barbed piece about me had been written, I got an unexpected call from Sen. Orrin Hatch, whom I knew, but not well. &#8216;Don&#8217;t let the bastards get you down,&#8217; he said,&#8221; Axelrod tweeted. &#8220;It was a kindness, unusual in Washington, I&#8217;ll never forget. May he RIP.&#8221;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
At a low moment during my WH years, when a barbed piece about me had been written, I got an unexpected call from Sen. Orrin Hatch, whom I knew, but not well. &quot;Don&#39;t let the bastards get you down,&quot; he said. It was a kindness, unusual in Washington, I&#39;ll never forget. May he RIP.
&mdash; David Axelrod (@davidaxelrod) <a href="https://twitter.com/davidaxelrod/status/1518218103783628800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 24, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Vice President Biden Holds Senate Ceremonial Swearing In

‘American Original’: Biden Remembers Orrin Hatch As An ‘Energetic, Sharp-Elbowed’ Man Of ‘Deep Faith’

Amy Klobuchar

bipartisanship

Orrin Hatch

U.S. Senate

David Axelrod, one of Barack Obama&#8217;s key advisors on his 2008 campaign trail and confidante during his presidency, has some advice for President Joe Biden: Be humble during your upcoming State of the Union address.
In an opinion column for The New York Times, Axelrod pleaded with Biden to tone down his rhetoric during the speech by painting things as they really are in America while acknowledging the pains and anxieties caused by inflation, COVID-19 restrictions, and violent crime — amongst other woes.
&#8220;The speech will command the largest television audience the president is likely to enjoy this year, and the temptation will be, as it always is, to herald his achievements and declare that we have navigated the storm,&#8221; Axelrod noted.
&#8220;But, Mr. President, proceed with caution.&#8221; he warned.
&#8220;Talk about the things you and Congress have done to help meet the challenges Americans are facing, for sure. Lay out your goals for the future, absolutely. Offer realistic hope for better days ahead,&#8221; he added.
Axelrod then noted — without directly saying it — that Americans think Biden&#8217;s presidency is a disaster.
&#8220;Unsurprisingly, incidents of suicide, drug overdose deaths and violence in our homes and on the streets have grown dramatically. Frustrations with masks, mandates and shifting rules have deepened our political divides. Jobs have come roaring back, raising wages,&#8221; Axelrod claimed of the current situation. &#8220;But those wage increases have been eaten up by inflation, the likes of which we have not seen in four decades. And all the while, the rich have gotten richer.&#8221;
&#8220;The state of the union is stressed. To claim otherwise — to highlight the progress we have made, without fully acknowledging the hard road we have traveled and the distance we need to go — would seem off-key and out of touch,&#8221; Axelrod added. &#8220;You simply cannot jawbone Americans into believing that things are better than they feel.&#8221;
It is unclear if the advice will fall on deaf ears. For example, just last week, Biden admonished NBC&#8217;s Lester Holt for being a &#8220;wise guy&#8221; for asking about inflation, which polls have indicated is a top concern for most American voters. The U.S. government announced inflation rose 7.5% year-over-year, but Biden maintained he was not responsible for it and it was caused by a &#8220;lack of computer chips,&#8221; as <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/biden-downplays-question-from-nbcs-lester-holt-about-inflation-youre-being-a-wise-guy">reported</a> by The Daily Wire:
<blockquote>“I think it was back in July, you said inflation was going to be temporary,” Holt said. “I think a lot of Americans are wondering what your definition of temporary is.
“Well, you’re being a wise guy with me a little bit, and I understand that’s your job,” Biden responded. “But look, at the time, what happened was the, uh, let’s look at the reasons for the inflation. And the reason for the inflation is the supply chains were cut off, meaning that the products, for example, automobiles, the lack of computer chips to be able to build those automobiles so they could function, they need those computer chips, they were not available.”</blockquote>
As for not making lofty promises, as Axelrod also warned against, readers should keep in mind the Biden administration has recently promised to cure cancer and bring automobile accidents to zero. To avoid comments like that in the State of the Union, Axelrod told the president, &#8220;Lay out your goals for the future, absolutely. Offer realistic hope for better days ahead. We desperately need it. But recognize that we are still in the grips of a national trauma. Polls show that the vast majority of Americans believe we are on the wrong track, and people will have little patience for lavish claims of progress that defy their lived experiences.&#8221;
The entire op-ed can be read <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/02/14/opinion/biden-state-of-the-union.html">here</a>. The State of the Union will air on March 1, 2022, from the nation&#8217;s Capitol Building.
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David Axelrod Warns Biden: You Can’t ‘Jawbone Americans’ Into Believing Things Are Better

State of the Union

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