Top Obama adviser backs off suggestion that Biden drop out

Political commentator and former top Obama adviser David Axelrod is walking back comments he made yesterday where he suggest that Joe Biden should drop out of the 2024 race, Politico reported.

“It’s overreacting to say I told him to drop out,” said Axelrod. “I didn’t do that.”

“He’s the only one to make the decision. And if his decision is ‘no, I’m the best person to take this on,’ then he will,” he added.

On Monday, Axelrod replied to a New York Times/Siena College poll that showed Biden down by four to 10 points in key battleground states, saying, “Only Joe Biden can make this decision. 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’s in HIS best interest or the country’s?”

Biden supporters dismissed Axelrod's remarks, accusing him of being overly critical of Biden.

"Tensions between the Obama and Biden camps are not new," reported Politico. "But they have become a bit more pronounced in recent days, both because of Axelrod’s comments and as Obama himself has grown more open about his concerns with Israel’s government in its current conduct in Gaza."

Read the full report at Politico.