Axelrod says it's more likely Biden loses 2024 race 'by a landslide' than win narrowly

WASHINGTON - Former Obama advisor David Axelrod said in a new interview that he thinks it’s more likely President Joe Biden will lose the 2024 race “by a landslide” than narrowly beat former President Donald Trump.

Axelrod’s latest remarks come after Biden’s primetime ABC interview Friday, in which he rejected calls to drop out of the race following a dismal debate performance earlier this month. On X, formerly Twitter, Axelrod claimed that Biden was “dangerously out-of-touch” with voters’ concerns about his capability to serve in another term.

When asked about his tweet, Axelrod said on CNN Sunday that Biden, 81, can’t outrun worries about his age.

“He’s fought his way back from political defeats and against the odds. And so, his psyche is that he can beat anybody and any long odds. What he can’t beat is Father Time. And that’s really the concern here. It’s not about his record,” Axelrod said.

“There are certain immutable facts of life,” Axelrod added. “And those were painfully obvious on that debate stage, and the President just doesn’t seem to come to - he hasn’t come to grips with it. He’s not winning this race...if you just look at the data and talk to people around the country, political people around the country, it’s more likely that he’ll lose by a landslide than win narrowly this race.”

He said the real question is what Biden’s legacy will be if he persists and loses badly in the race.

“He could lose and take some - take the House and Senate with him. That’s not the legacy that he wants. He has a great, great record and a great history,” Axelrod said.

In Friday’s interview with ABC anchor George Stephanopoulos, Biden said his debate performance was just a “bad episode” - no sign of a “more serious condition - and insisted that he’s in “good shape.”

“I wouldn’t be running if I didn’t think I did,” he said.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: David Axelrod predicts Biden won't win 2024 race