Obama sends election warning to Biden to boost his chances against Trump, media reports.
The former president is concerned that the Democrat's campaign is not flexible enough.
Sputnik - Former US President Barack Obama (2009-2017) urged advisors to current leader Joe Biden to strengthen his 2024 reelection efforts amid the incumbent president's declining approval ratings. Obama reportedly believes Biden's chances will improve by empowering people in the campaign to act without needing to seek White House approval, according to The Washington Post.
Obama and Biden discussed the campaign during a private lunch at the White House in recent months, media reported Saturday (6), citing sources familiar with the matter. The former president was reportedly "excited" to talk about the 2024 election and the prospect of a Trump victory.
Obama recalled the success of his 2012 campaign, when key advisors took charge of reelection operations across the country, and criticized Biden's approach of leaving his advisors in the White House.
According to sources who spoke to the media outlet on condition of anonymity, Obama did not refer to anything specific in the campaign structure, but suggested that it is necessary to "act aggressively," since Trump has built a solid lead among his party's candidates before the Republican primaries, as polls indicate.
He did not recommend that any specific individual be recruited by the campaign, but he reportedly mentioned his senior strategist, David Plouffe, who led Obama's 2008 campaign, as an example of someone who could help.
Earlier this year, Obama warned that Donald Trump could be a more formidable challenge than many Democrats realize. He is not only concerned about Biden's weak poll numbers, but also about the effectiveness of his unorthodox campaign structure. Biden's campaign manager, Julie Chavez Rodriguez, is based at campaign headquarters in Wilmington, Delaware, while his top aides – Anita Dunn, Jen O'Malley Dillon, Mike Donilon, and Steve Ricchetti – work at the White House. Some Democrats have expressed concerns that the campaign may not be able to respond immediately to rapid developments. David Axelrod, a former senior presidential advisor, suggested that Biden should consider dropping out of the 2024 race.
Biden's approval ratings hit a record low at the end of 2023, with only 38% of voters approving of his performance, according to a recent Washington Post poll. Voters, including most Democrats, are particularly concerned about Biden's age, as well as how he handled the Israel-Hamas war.