US POLITICO
Where does Barack Obama stand on President Biden staying in the 2024 race?
Former President Obama’s support of President Biden seems to be waning as calls grow within the party for him to drop out of the 2024 race.
Nearly a month has passed since President Joe Biden’s disastrous debate performance, and the calls for him to drop out of the 2024 race have only increased. This week, former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries have reportedly voiced their concerns to President Biden and his team about his chances of winning in November. The calls by these leaders have not been made in public. Instead, they have brought their concerns directly to the campaign to encourage President Biden to continue considering whether or not staying in the race is the best thing for the party and the country. The New York Times’s Peter Baker reported that Minority Leader Hakeem Jefferies and Senator Schumer reportedly told President Biden that while they were publicly bringing their concerns to him, it might not stay that way.
President Obama threw his support behind Joe Biden in the early days following the debate but seems to be changing his tune as the polling begins to look more favorably on Donald Trump.
The Independent has reported that since the debate, Joe Biden and Barack Obama have only spoken once, and noted that the former president did not make any public statements following the release of George Clooney's damaging op-ed in the New York Times.
READ MORE: Can Barack Obama run for US president again?
How Barack Obama's silence is being interpreted
New reports indicate the former president’s support for President Biden is waning. According to Axios, President Obama has been silent when President Biden most needs vocal support. The silence has been filled by individuals close to the former president, including his former speechwriters and advisors who started Crooked Media, which features the podcast Pod Save America. These hosts, who previously worked in the Obama White House, have been some of the loudest voices within the Democratic party’s media ecosystem, calling on President Biden to consider stepping down.
Jon Favreau, who has made it clear that if Biden remains on the ticket, he will do whatever he can to get him elected, has suggested that the party has a better chance of defeating Trump in November if the president is replaced.
However, he also acknowledges that doing so carries significant risks, as there would be very little time to secure a winning coalition with a candidate who may not have strong support from voters.
Polling shows that some Democratic governors perform better against Donald Trump than Vice President Kamala Harris, who is closely associated with Biden and whose favorability is at its lowest levels during his tenure.